Automotive News, Dec. 14, 2020 – Political confusion and a worsening pandemic clouded dealer sentiment gauged by Cox Automotive’s quarterly Dealer Sentiment Index survey.

Dealers reported slightly lower optimism on Cox’s fourth-quarter poll, conducted Nov. 4 to 15 as coronavirus cases surged and the outcome of the presidential election hung in the balance. Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke said the time it took to ratify the results likely added to franchised dealers’ anxieties.

“We were probably getting the absolute most extreme concerns,” Smoke said. “We might not see such a view if we were to [survey dealers] today.”

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