Smoke on Cars Archives

Optimism and High Expectations Reign as NADA Show 2018 Kicks Off in Las Vegas 03/19/2018 Cox Automotive’s Q1 2018 Dealer Sentiment Index shows U.S. car dealer expect recent tax reform to boost profitability, improve business ATLANTA – March 19, 2018 – Members of the National Automobile Dealers Association heading to Las Vegas this week for NADA Show 2018 will be arriving with a sense of optimism for current market conditions and high expectation for the coming months. According to the Q1… Read Article

Smoke on Cars Press Releases

Auto Sales Expected to Fall, But Industry Keeps Cool 01/29/2018 The auto industry’s party isn’t over, but some of the guests are leaving. Last year’s sales came in at 17.1 million, the third straight year volume exceeded 17 million, a run that set an industry record. This year, WardsAuto predicts sales of 16.4 million, largely because pent-up demand that had built up during the recessionary years has pretty much abated. So, U.S. dealers are expected to… Read Article

Smoke on Cars News Coverage

Watch payments, not unit sales, economist says 01/24/2018 DETROIT -- The auto industry counts vehicle sales each month as a gauge of consumers' economic health, but tracking vehicle buyers' monthly payments may provide a better assessment, said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Cox Automotive. Moreover, the importance of the payment can be seen in the sales process, he said: Customers are frustrated when they can't know their monthly payment from the beginning of the… Read Article

Smoke on Cars News Coverage

Strong 2018 sales expected 01/22/2018 DETROIT — Rising interest rates and tightening credit are reasons for concern, but shouldn't cause new-vehicle sales to tumble, speakers at the Automotive News World Congress said. Tightening credit is the most important issue to watch, said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Cox Automotive, adding that U.S. car dealers will sell more vehicles this year, but not on the new-vehicle side. Smoke forecast 16.7 million new… Read Article

Smoke on Cars News Coverage

Lease returns to power used-car sales 12/25/2017 U.S. used-vehicle sales will rise in 2018 on swelling off-lease returns, while new-vehicle volume will decline modestly, forecasters say. Because dealerships typically generate bigger margins selling used vehicles than new ones, U.S. franchised dealers will be better positioned for the change than the manufacturers and suppliers of new vehicles. The most challenging environment in 2018 may be for independent dealers specializing in older used vehicles, which… Read Article

Smoke on Cars News Coverage

Deals, light-truck demand push U.S. sales to Nov. record 12/04/2017 U.S. auto sales, behind strong results at Nissan, Ford and Honda, rose 1.4 percent to 1,399,640 in November -- a record for the month -- exceeding most forecasts and driven by light-truck demand and fatter deals. It is only the second month this year that light-vehicle sales rose year over year. Light truck volume jumped 7.4 percent while car deliveries remained weak, falling 8.8 percent. Among… Read Article

Smoke on Cars News Coverage

Podcast: Jonathan Smoke Joins Show 10/26/2017 Joe Overby, Auto Remarketing's editor, visited Cox Automotive to talk with chief economist Jonathan Smoke about everything used cars. During this conversation, Jonathan covers 2017 sales predictions, supply, demand, off-lease, CPO and Millennials. He also talks about the Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index, which measures the current state and outlook of both franchise and independent dealers. Plus, Jonathan explains why the auto industry is like the… Read Article

Smoke on Cars News Coverage