Forecasts

Report: Dealerships leaning more on incentive money to turn profit
April 16Dealerships' average net profit was more than 15 times the size of total operating profit last year, showing just how much they rely on automaker incentives.

Longtime GM economist Mustafa Mohatarem plans to retire
April 5Longtime chief economist at General Motors, Mustafa Mohatarem, has announced his retirement and is succeeded by Elaine Buckberg, who assumed her new duties April 1.
Expect a sales plateau — a healthy one
March 23U.S. new-vehicle sales should be a healthy 16.7 million in 2018, then stay in a range of 16.5 million-16.7 million in the next couple of years, according to Patrick Manzi, NADA senior economist.

More off-lease crossovers could hurt new-vehicle sales
Feb. 26Dealers will have more used SUVs and crossovers to sell in 2018, but the greater supply coming off lease may also squeeze margins and volume on vehicles.

This is no time to get sloppy
Feb. 19There is a great deal of uncertainty out there and it seems prudent to be conservative. Still, when the car business is bad, I am told, it is still pretty good.

Ferrari aims to double core earnings by 2022
Feb. 1Ferrari aims to double core earnings no later than 2022 and become debt free by 2021. The automaker reported an 18 percent rise in 2017 adjusted earnings.

Autoliv Q4 adjusted earnings rise 8%; strong sales growth expected in 2018
Jan. 30Autoliv forecasted higher organic sales growth this year after fourth-quarter adjusted earnings rose 8.2 percent and revenues increased 5 percent.

A normal-ish used market
Jan. 29Used-vehicle sales will grow modestly to 39.5 million units in 2018, driven by a more desirable mix of off-lease vehicles and consumers with more take-home pay.

Talent pool concerns suppliers
Jan. 22Research finds that no matter a supplier's size or product, the biggest threat to its competitiveness is the struggle to recruit skilled workers.

Experts expect strong '18 sales, will watch credit, interest rates
Jan. 22Rising 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.

Ford outlook sours ahead of EV push
Jan. 22Ford insists it's on track to deliver consistently strong profits by the end of the decade. But in the meantime, the automaker will feel some financial pain as it posts fourth-quarter results later today.

'17 sales soften, but confidence still strong
Jan. 8Auto executives and experts are confident that the industry's good times will continue this year despite a 1.8 percent decline in U.S. new light-vehicle sales in 2017 that ended a seven-year growth streak.