Q4 2017 Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index findings
Dealers’ optimism strongest in the South
Monday December 11, 2017
Article Highlights
- Dealers are positive about the next quarter, but that optimism varies widely by region, a Cox Automotive survey found.
- The quarterly Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index, released today, is the equivalent of a consumer confidence index, showing how U.S. dealers feel about the current automotive market and prospects for the next 90 days. It also identifies which factors are most significant in driving dealers' optimism or pessimism, as well as variations by region.
- Dealers in the South — from Texas and Florida up through Maryland — buoyed the numbers.
Dealers are positive about the next quarter, but that optimism varies widely by region, a Cox Automotive survey found.
The quarterly Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index, released today, is the equivalent of a consumer confidence index, showing how U.S. dealers feel about the current automotive market and prospects for the next 90 days. It also identifies which factors are most significant in driving dealers’ optimism or pessimism, as well as variations by region.
The index measures dealer perceptions of current retail auto sales and sales expectations for the next three months. The responses are used to calculate what’s known as a diffusion index, where any number over 50 indicates that dealers view conditions as strong.
The fourth-quarter index eased one point from the third quarter to 54 — still indicating a strong current market — in the latest online survey, conducted Oct. 25 to Nov. 2. Year-earlier figures are not available.
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