Market Insights and Outlook - Cox Automotive Inc.

All Smoke on Cars Commentary & Voices Data Point Economy & Trends

Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index – Fourth Quarter 2018 December 10, 2018 Derived from a quarterly survey that Cox Automotive issues to a representative sample of franchise and independent auto dealers, the Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index measures dealer perceptions of current retail auto sales and sales expectations for the next three months as “strong,” “average” or “weak.” The survey also asks dealers to rate new-car sales and used-car sales separately along with a variety of key drivers… Read Article

Commentary & Voices Economy & Trends

Optimism Shifts to Pessimism: 2019 Outlook Dims for U.S. Auto Dealers December 10, 2018 ATLANTA, Dec. 10, 2018 – According to data from the Q4 2018 Cox Automotive Dealer Sentiment Index (CADSI) released today, U.S. auto dealers became more negative than positive in describing the current market in the fourth quarter. The current market index fell to 44, down from 51 in the third quarter. Expectations for the next quarter also declined and moved into negative territory for the first… Read Article

Press Releases

Wholesale Prices Retreat From Record High December 7, 2018 Wholesale used vehicle prices (on a mix-, mileage-, and seasonally adjusted basis) decreased 1.32 percent month-over-month in November. This brought the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index to 139.0, a 3.3 percent increase from a year ago. Looking at trends in weekly Manheim Market Report (MMR) prices, November saw continued normalizing depreciation. Three-year-old vehicles ended the month worth 2.7 percent more than they would normally have been… Read Article

Manheim Vehicle Value Index Market Insights Commentary & Voices

Car Share Continues to Come Down December 6, 2018 Share of car sales in the new-vehicle market came in at 28.8 percent in November - the lowest monthly level in U.S. automotive history. The previous low was set in August 2018 at 29.7 percent. “The market continues to abandon cars, with no end in sight,” said Karl Brauer, executive publisher, Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book. “Automakers have slowed or stopped production and buyers are… Read Article

Market Insights Data Point

Average Transaction Prices Trending Up December 6, 2018 Average transaction prices for new vehicles are up with light trucks seeing the strongest growth. New-vehicle prices increased by $769 (up 2.1 percent) from November 2017, while remaining flat (down 0.1 percent) from last month. "There were mixed average transaction price results among automakers in November 2018, even though the industry average did rise 2 percent," said Tim Fleming, analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "Much of… Read Article

Market Insights Data Point

Slowing OEM Production to Fuel Affordability Challenge, Analyst Says December 6, 2018 Recent OEM exits of lower-priced vehicle segments will limit availability and squeeze auto affordability in 2019, said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Cox Automotive Inc. “We’re starting to see announcements from major manufacturers about ceasing production of mostly more affordable cars, and so that reduces the number of units available for sale,” Smoke said. In late November, General Motors announced plans to scrap production of most… Read Article

News Coverage

Waymo One Launches in Phoenix December 5, 2018 Waymo, the autonomous vehicle division of Alphabet, announced today plans to launch a commercial self-driving vehicle service. Called Waymo One, the new service will initially be available to members of Waymo’s early rider pilot program in the Phoenix area. In making the announcement, Waymo also shared its intent to make Waymo One available to even more members of the public, adding vehicles and the service to… Read Article

Market Insights Commentary & Voices

November 2018 U.S. Automotive Sales December 3, 2018 Auto sales in November 2018 continued at a healthy pace. Full-year 2018 sales are on course to beat 2017 and pass the 17-million milestone for the fourth straight year, a record streak. While General Motors did not make November sales public, the Cox Automotive team is estimating the company delivered sales better than our initial forecast of 235,000 vehicles, a year-over-year decline of 4.2 percent. With… Read Article

Market Insights Commentary & Voices

United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement November 30, 2018 This morning in Argentina, President Trump was joined by the presidents of Mexico and Canada in the signing of an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement. With approximately 4 million vehicles built in Canada and Mexico sold in the U.S. in the past 12 months, automobiles are a headline issue in the new agreement. Below you will find initial commentary from the Cox Automotive… Read Article

Market Insights Commentary & Voices

Cruise Appoints New CEO, Dan Ammann, Autotrader Comments November 28, 2018 Below are some comments from Michelle Krebs around the announcement of Dan Ammann leaving his role as President of GM and moving onto leading Cruise as CEO. If you have any questions or would like to speak to one of our analysts at Autotrader or Kelley Blue Book, please let us know. From Michelle Krebs, executive analyst at Autotrader: “GM’s Dan Ammann has long led the… Read Article

Market Insights Commentary & Voices