Consumer spending remains unexpectedly strong as the auto market moves through the heart of the spring selling season.

In this episode of The Auto Market Brief, Erin Keating is joined by Cox Automotive Chief Economist Jeremy Robb to break down the latest retail spending data, new‑ and used‑vehicle sales performance, and what's shaping demand across the market.

Consumer spending and retail sales trends:
Jeremy explains why overall retail spending remains elevated, including a record month‑over‑month increase in gasoline station sales and the continued impact of tax refunds supporting consumer activity.

New, used, and EV market performance:
The discussion examines year‑to‑date new‑vehicle sales in the context of last year’s tariff‑driven pull‑ahead, cooling but stable used‑vehicle sales, tightening used inventory, and rising prices for top‑selling used vehicles. The episode also highlights improving demand and price retention for used EVs at both retail and wholesale levels.

Market signals and industry developments:
This episode also touches on Federal Reserve leadership updates, wholesale price movement, and retention trends, alongside key industry headlines from major automakers, marketplace expansion, and dealership consolidation activity.

The Auto Market Brief delivers timely data, clear context, and practical insight to help industry leaders make smarter decisions—what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.

The Auto Market Brief is powered by Cox Automotive. For more industry insights and expert perspectives, visit our Insights Hub at https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights.

New inflation readings, geopolitical uncertainty, and lingering tariff pressure continue to cloud the economic outlook, but the auto market is proving more resilient than the headlines suggest.

From inflation reading timing and consumer income dynamics to tightening used supply and disciplined OEM strategies, this episode unpacks why rising uncertainty has not yet translated into market disruption and what that means as the industry moves deeper into the second quarter of the year:

Inflation signals, timing, and economic context:
Recent CPI and PCE data point to ongoing inflation pressure, but differences in timing and composition matter. Erin Keating and Jeremy Robb explain why headline inflation can feel more alarming than the underlying trend, and how consumers and markets are still adjusting rather than reacting.

Consumer behavior, credit access, and market resilience:
Despite softer income growth and economic strain, vehicle demand remains relatively steady. The discussion explores how tax refunds, seasonal sales patterns, and improving credit availability are supporting transaction activity, even as affordability challenges persist.

OEM discipline, inventory dynamics, and industry strategy:
Tight used‑vehicle supply, firm wholesale pricing, and measured incentive activity signal an industry recalibrating around margin discipline and realistic growth. Insights from New York Auto Forum and the New York Auto Show reinforce how automakers are prioritizing affordability, hybrid momentum, and disciplined capital deployment in an uncertain policy and cost environment.

The Auto Market Brief delivers timely data, clear context, and practical insight to help industry leaders make smarter decisions—what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.

The Auto Market Brief is powered by Cox Automotive. For more industry insights and expert perspectives, visit our Insights Hub at https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights.

Car shoppers aren’t following a linear path to purchase anymore. Instead, they’re validating information across platforms, formats, and voices, reshaping how automotive content is created and consumed.

In this conversation, Erin Keating is joined by Michelle Clark, Director of Editorial for Cox Automotive’s consumer brands, to explore these shifts in behavior and what it means for the future of automotive storytelling:

Validation over linear research:
Today’s consumers continuously validate what they see and hear, seeking multiple perspectives, real experiences, and trusted sources throughout the entire shopping journey, not just at the point of purchase.

Creator-led content builds trust:
Short-form video and creator perspectives are resonating because they feel personal and authentic, helping shoppers assess vehicle features, technology, and ownership considerations through real-world lenses.

Content closer to the transaction:
Automotive advice content is moving beyond awareness into decision-support, with tools and information like gas price tracking and insurance guidance playing a more direct role in purchase confidence.

AI as an enabler, not a storyteller:
Editorial teams are using AI to scale and adapt storytelling across formats, empowering journalists to become multi‑format generalists while keeping human expertise at the center of the content.

The Auto Market Brief delivers timely data, clear context, and practical insight to help industry leaders make smarter decisions—what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.

The Auto Market Brief is powered by Cox Automotive. For more industry insights and expert perspectives, visit our Insights Hub at https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights.

Soaring gas prices, ongoing geopolitical tension, and shifting rate expectations continue to collide with a key spring selling period for the auto market.

From fuel price volatility and interest rate pressure to evolving consumer shopping behavior and industry cost complexities, this episode unpacks the dynamics shaping demand, market resilience, and decision-making across the automotive landscape as we step into the second quarter of the year:

Fuel prices, sentiment, and near-term demand signals:
Oil price increases tied to global conflict are lifting fuel costs and weighing on sentiment, with national averages inching closer to critical thresholds. Despite this, the market has not yet seen a sharp sales slowdown, with regional differences, income dynamics, and timing effects likely influencing consumer behavior.

Consumer shopping behavior and market resilience:
Despite economic pressure, new and used vehicle sales remain relatively strong. Erin Keating and Jeremy Robb discuss tax refunds, the spring sales tailwind, and rising online interest in hybrids and EVs as consumers adjust rather than retreat in response to higher operating costs.

Rates, tariffs, and industry pressures:
With benchmark rates moving higher and tariff impacts lingering, the conversation explores how financing conditions, wholesale market signals, production decisions, ADAS repair complexity, and autonomous vehicle investment are reshaping cost structures and strategic planning across the industry.

The Auto Market Brief delivers timely data, clear context, and practical insight to help industry leaders make smarter decisions—what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.

The Auto Market Brief is powered by Cox Automotive. For more industry insights and expert perspectives, visit our Insights Hub at https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights.

Consumer sentiment is wavering as higher gas prices, global conflicts, and interest rate uncertainty intersect with an auto market entering the spring selling season. 

From geopolitical risk and fuel costs to strengthening used EV performance and growing macro uncertainty, this episode breaks down the forces reshaping demand, pricing power, and strategy across the automotive market as the year unfolds:

• Consumer sentiment, gas prices, and economic uncertainty: Rising oil prices stemming from Middle East tensions and shipping disruptions are pressuring sentiment and inflation expectations. We explore how volatility in headlines, consumer sentiment, and fuel costs could influence purchasing behavior in the months ahead.
• Used EV momentum and wholesale pricing signals: Off-lease EV supply is rising, with used EV sales and values showing notable strength in the wholesale market. We unpack what this momentum signals for dealers navigating affordability constraints, inventory decisions, and shifting consumer preferences amid uncertainty around fuel prices.
• Federal Reserve outlook and market volatility: With no near-term rate cuts expected, the Fed remains constrained by inflation risks tied to energy prices and global conflict. We explore how interest-rate uncertainty, GDP revisions, and recession concerns are shaping planning assumptions for 2026.

The Auto Market Brief delivers timely data, clear context, and practical insight to help industry leaders make smarter decisions—what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.

The Auto Market Brief is powered by Cox Automotive. For more industry insights and expert perspectives, visit our Insights Hub at https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights.

Geopolitical tensions are on the rise, and they’re creating ripple effects across energy markets and global supply chains. So, what does that mean for the automotive industry right now? 

In this special bonus episode, we break down how the conflict involving Iran could show up in the market over the near term and what auto leaders should be paying attention to in the weeks ahead:

• Fuel prices and consumer behavior: Disruption to the flow of goods through the Strait of Hormuz pushes oil and gas prices higher, which often changes how consumers think about driving, fueling up, and making near‑term spending decisions.
• Supply chains and cost pressure: Automotive’s global footprint means shipping lanes and petrochemical supply matter. Extended instability could impact logistics, materials like plastics and synthetic rubber, and overall input costs for automakers and suppliers.
• Interest in EVs vs. actual purchases: History shows fuel price spikes tend to drive short‑term interest in hybrids and EVs, but that interest doesn’t always turn into immediate sales, especially in an uncertain economy.
• More layers of uncertainty: Add in tariffs and broader policy questions, and automakers and dealers are navigating an increasingly complex planning environment that calls for flexibility and scenario thinking.

The Auto Market Brief delivers timely data, clear context, and practical insight to help industry leaders make smarter decisions—what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.

The Auto Market Brief is powered by Cox Automotive. For more industry insights and expert perspectives, visit our Insights Hub at https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights.

Policy uncertainty, inflation pressure, and productivity shifts are redefining how auto leaders compete.

From GDP slowdown and Federal Reserve inflation concerns to tariffs, savings erosion, and tax refund dynamics, this episode connects the macro signals shaping automotive strategy in 2026:

• Macro economy, inflation, and productivity: Fresh insights from the NABE Economic Policy Conference reveal how GDP growth slowed in Q4, inflation remains above the Fed’s target, and productivity gains driven by AI, infrastructure, and lag effects are reshaping expectations for growth, labor, and monetary policy.
• Consumer finances and demand signals: With the savings rate falling, debt levels rising, and tax refund season arriving stronger than expected, we unpack what consumer balance sheets, seasonal delinquencies, and early wholesale pricing signals mean for demand across new and used vehicle markets.
• OEM strategy, fixed ops, and electrification: Automakers navigate tariff pressure, regionalized dealer support, fixed ops as a profit engine, and diverging EV strategies, from Toyota’s steady electrification push to delays and franchise challenges facing newer entrants, highlighting why execution, not demand alone, will determine winners.

The Auto Market Brief delivers timely data, clear context, and practical insight to help industry leaders make smarter decisions—what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.

The Auto Market Brief is powered by Cox Automotive. For more industry insights and expert perspectives, visit our Insights Hub at https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights

Jobs market momentum is slowing and automakers are under pressure. What does it all mean for sales, credit, and pricing decisions across the automotive market?

From labor market weakness and rising debt levels to disciplined incentives and inventory strain, this episode breaks down the forces reshaping demand, profitability, and strategy as we get further into the first quarter of the year:

• Labor, productivity, and economic risk: Job growth revisions reveal a cooling labor market, while productivity gains and wage growth complicate the outlook for consumer demand, GDP, and recession risk. Erin and Jeremy explore what the current “low hire, low fire” environment means for automotive retailing and long-term sales momentum.
• Credit availability and consumer pressure: Auto loan rates, APRs, and credit availability remain relatively stable, but rising subprime share, negative equity, and growing delinquencies (especially in student loans) signal increasing pressure on consumers and lenders heading into tax refund season.
• Automaker performance, pricing, and inventory: OEMs navigate tariff-driven cost increases, supply chain disruptions, and disciplined incentive strategies as MSRP, invoice, and average transaction prices compress. Inventory levels, days’ supply, and production decisions are setting the stage for an intense market-share battle across key segments.

The Auto Market Brief delivers timely data, clear context, and practical insight to help industry leaders make smarter decisions—what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.

The Auto Market Brief is powered by Cox Automotive. For more industry insights and expert perspectives, visit our Insights Hub at https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights.

As the auto industry closes the book on 2025, interest rates ease, consumer signals stay mixed, and automakers reveal who gained ground, and who didn’t. Cox Automotive Executive Analyst Erin Keating, joined by Interim Chief Economist Jeremy Robb, unpacks sales momentum, credit trends, CES 2026 takeaways, and what it all means for navigating a more uncertain 2026.

In this episode:

• Where interest rates, APRs, and consumer credit ended 2025, and why it matters for buyers
• New-vehicle sales, pricing, incentives, and fleet trends shaping the market
• Job growth, wages, and consumer sentiment signals to watch
• Automakers that finished strong, from Toyota and GM to Hyundai and Kia
• CES 2026 highlights, including AI, software-defined vehicles, and emerging global competition

The Auto Market Brief delivers timely data, clear context, and practical insight to help industry leaders make smarter decisions—what’s happening now, and what’s coming next.

The Auto Market Brief is powered by Cox Automotive. For more industry insights and expert perspectives, visit our Insights Hub at https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights

Looking for clarity in the chaos of the automotive market? You're in the right place. 

The Auto Market Brief is your fast, focused update on the trends, data, and decisions shaping the automotive market. From macroeconomic signals like inflation, GDP, and Federal Reserve policy to industry-specific factors like auto loan interest rates, pricing pressure, consumer credit, and sentiment; we help you connect the dots across the economy and make smarter decisions about what comes next.

Each episode begins with a quick pulse check on the economy, then goes deeper, uncovering insights across inventory, retail, lending, fleet, and automaker performance. You’ll also hear timely perspectives from Cox Automotive experts and industry guests, delivering clear context, short‑term outlooks, and practical insight.

Whether you’re navigating new and used vehicle dynamics, monitoring consumer behavior, or planning for shifting market conditions, The Auto Market Brief is built to keep you informed, focused, and ahead.

 
The Auto Market Brief is powered by Cox Automotive. For more industry insights and expert perspectives, visit our Insights Hub at https://www.coxautoinc.com/insights.