Auto Sales Return to Pre-Meltdown Days – But How Long Will It Last?
What a great year for auto sales in 2013 – the best since 2007 before it all plummeted with a gasoline price spike and economic meltdown.
Analysts and industry executives do see growth coming this year.
Light-duty pickups and sport-utility/crossover vehicles saw a very strong year. That should continue.
Incentives have been restrained and that may continue.
Chrysler is seeing better times as Fiat answered the ownership question – and its credit rating has improved.
Analysts will be watching how the market performs this year and next – if this growth continues, flattens out, or reduces.
Here are a few trends that auto analysts are watching to see how the market performs in 2014 and beyond…..
- Analysts and industry executives do see growth coming this year – up to about 16M new vehicles expected.
- Light-duty pickups and sport-utility/crossover vehicles saw a very strong year. That should continue. New pickup truck models are rolling out, which is expected to strengthen interest in the products. Gasoline prices aren’t expected to increase by very much this year, which should help light-duty truck sales.
- Incentives have been restrained and that should continue. Much of it came through very competitive lease deals in 2013. With a high volume of off-lease units coming back to remarketing channels this year, much attention will be given to how new vehicle leases will be incentivized.
Spotlight on 2014 Green Truck Summit & Work Truck Show
If you have a work truck fleet, or you market to fleets with this equipment, you will want to be in Indianapolis on March 4th for the opening of the Green Truck Summit, held in conjunction with the 2014 Work Truck Show which opens on March 5th. The two events feature world-class educational sessions along […]
NAFA Offers Guide to Presenting Value to Upper Management
In many companies fleet costs trail only wages and salaries as a corporate expense. Controlling expenses has always been a goal of corporate management, but today, the pressure is greater than ever and shows no signs of slackening in the future. That puts a premium on every fleet operation to trim costs without diminishing the […]
100 Best Fleets to be Recognized at NAFA I&E
For over a decade, the 100 Best Fleets program has been recognizing fleets throughout North America. List after list of winners and honorable mentions has contained dozens of members of NAFA Fleet Management Association, including the complete top ten in last year’s list. In 2014, the award presentation will be co-located at NAFA’s annual Institute […]
Auto Truck Group Names New Execs
Auto Truck Group announced three new executive appointments: Pete Dondlinger has been named Vice President of Operations; Brad Blanco has been named Vice President of IT, Finance, and Administration; and Pam Bodzioch has been named HR Manager. Dondlinger – who was serving as the Director of Railroad Operations prior to this role – will now […]
