Insights

For more than 175 installments, Cox Automotive’s Auto Market Report video has delivered a comprehensive analysis of the current automotive market. Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke is signing off with this last video and moving on to be Cox Automotive’s chief strategy officer. Report Summary – Nov. 11, 2025 Key Highlights Consumer Spending Growth Slowed in …

ATLANTA, Nov. 11, 2025 – Cox Automotive announced today that Jonathan Smoke has been named executive vice president and chief strategy officer, effective Nov. 10, 2025. Smoke will succeed Amy Mills, who will be departing at the end of the year, following the announcement in July of her retirement after nearly 25 years of service at Cox Automotive.  …

ATLANTA – Nov. 11, 2025 — A new study from Cox Automotive shows a crisis in dealer service retention. Despite a rise in overall number of service visits, U.S. dealerships are losing customers to independent competitors at a steady rate. This is because cars on the road are getting older, yet loyalty to getting cars …

In October 2025, the Dealertrack Credit Availability Index resumed its upward trend of improved credit access after a slight tightening in the previous month. The All-Loans Index edged up to 98.3 in October from 97.9 in September, marking a 0.4-point increase month over month and up 4.1% from October 2024. Even though some key metrics …

Key Highlights With the Federal government shutdown into its sixth week, new labor market data wasn’t available last week. However, we did receive initial data on consumer sentiment in November as well as preliminary data on October new- and used-vehicle sales. New-Vehicle Sales Slowed in October With Lower Incentives Official new-vehicle sales numbers are reported by …

Key Metrics Expert Perspective — Jeremy Robb, Deputy Chief Economist, Cox Automotive  “Trends get a little spooky in October for the wholesale markets, typically showing us the highest levels of depreciation in the year – and this year was no exception,” said Jeremy Robb, Deputy Chief Economist at Cox Automotive.   “It’s typical to see higher declines for values in October, as dealers slow down ahead of winter, and …

A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is a great way to store, unify, and enrich your customer data to personalize the car buying experience and tailor your outreach efforts. But how much effort do you really need to put into a CDP? Can you leverage an automotive CDP for retail right now without having to overcomplicate …

Key Highlights The Federal government shutdown is now into week five, and routine reports and data have not been released, including updates on GDP, jobless claims, or personal income and spending. However, we did receive data on pending home sales and consumer confidence.   Pending Home Sales: Unchanged In September  Pending home sales were unchanged in …

As expected, the Fed cut rate policy for a second time in 2025 at the conclusion of its seventh scheduled Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting. The policy statement from the FOMC was little changed, but Chair Powell made it clear that a decision to cut rates again in December was far from a foregone …

Cox Automotive’s Auto Market Report video delivers a comprehensive analysis of the current automotive market. Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke leads our effort to translate data and trends into actionable insights. This video covers a wide range of topics, including consumer spending patterns, consumer sentiment, retail vehicle sales, financing rates, supply dynamics, pricing trends and leading …