Market Insights and Outlook - Cox Automotive Inc.

Smoke on Cars Chief Economist Jonathan Smoke shares his insights on macroeconomic trends, business cycles, demand and the economic factors influencing the automotive industry today. See Insights ›

Commentary & Voices Our team of analysts and experts share their reactions, insights and unique perspectives on the behaviors, data and industry moves that are affecting the broader automotive business. See Insights ›

Data Point The automotive industry is a data-driven business. These are the data points that our team of experts and analysts find most interesting, offered with insights to explain why it matters and why you should know. See Insights ›

Economy & Trends Dynamic economic factors and market trends continually influence our industry, and Cox Automotive’s economists and analysts provide data analysis, forecasts and reports to enhance the understanding of how these factors affect the automotive marketplace. See Insights ›

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Daily Rental Leads January Fleet Sales Increase 02/06/2019 As expected, U.S. new-vehicle sales in total were down in January compared with a year ago, but they came in a tad higher than many had forecasted. They likely got a bump for more-than-anticipated fleet sales, notably sales to daily rental car companies. Total fleet sales rose 10 percent in January, led by a 16-percent gain to daily rental companies and a nearly 6-percent rise to… Read Article

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Shopper Trends Snapshot: Finishing the Year Strong – Top Segment Gainers 01/24/2019 Car shopping traffic was up overall in Q4 on Autotrader, with more than half of mainstream car, truck, and SUV segments posting double-digit growth compared to the prior quarter. Four luxury segments – the three SUV segments and luxury’s full-size car segment – experienced the largest percentage growth in traffic among the 17 segments, contributing to a strong finish for luxury overall (+14%). Despite upward momentum… Read Article

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CPO Sales Reach 2018 Record – Another Record Forecast for 2019 01/22/2019 Certified pre-owned (CPO) sales reached a new record high in 2018 at 2.7 million units in the U.S. (up 2.1 percent versus 2017), matching the January 2018 forecast from Cox Automotive economists. This new high represents the eighth straight year of record CPO sales. Year-over-year CPO sales in December were up 1.3 percent. Major brands like Jeep, Nissan and VW saw success while BMW, Ford and… Read Article

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Fleet sales drive strength in the new vehicle market for 2018 01/09/2019 Fleet sales finished 2018 up 7 percent versus 2017. The strongest-gaining fleet channel was commercial, which increased 8.8 percent in 2018 versus the prior year. Corporate tax reform had a positive effect on fleet sales in 2018. With more money to spend, some companies moved to update their fleets. Commercial fleet sales were strong throughout 2018, and rental fleet volume was up over 100,000 units versus… Read Article

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Wholesale Prices Retreat From Record High 01/08/2019 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. The Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index (MUVVI) is updated monthly using data from Manheim, North America’s largest wholesale used-vehicle marketplace and most extensive auction network. By applying statistical analysis to… Read Article

Wholesale Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index Used Car Market Insights Data Point

Car Share Continues to Come Down 12/06/2018 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

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Average Transaction Prices Trending Up 12/06/2018 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

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Incentives Down Year-over-Year in September 10/16/2018 Incentives as a % of Average Transaction Price (new vehicles) trending down. Retail sales are down less than 1% YTD - OEMs are taking advantage of strength to lessen discounting and slow down the growth in incentives. Read Article

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Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index Reaches Record High 10/05/2018 According to Manheim, wholesale used vehicle prices increased 0.14 percent month over month in September. This brought the Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index to 139.9, which was a 3.7 percent increase from a year ago and a new record high for the Index. Read Article

Manheim Used Vehicle Value Index Market Insights Data Point

Auction Volumes Are Declining and No Longer Supporting Growth in Used Sales 10/05/2018 Absolute volumes peaked in 2017; growth remains limited to offsite online channels and growth in off-lease. Read Article

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