It seems like after all these years or car sales growth, tough days are coming for automakers. The previous success starts working against them, it means car costumers have bought so many new cars in the last years that they have a very low interest in them right now.
A glut of used vehicles has started to depress prices. That trend will intensify as Americans will return 3.36 million leased cars and trucks this year, another jump after a 33 percent surge in 2016. The fallout has already begun, with Ford Motor Co. shaving $300 million from its financial-services arm’s profit forecast for this year. This drag may be hitting the rest of the industry, too. A National Automobile Dealers Association index of used-vehicle prices declined each of the last six months of last year. If used values weaken more than anticipated, it can lead to losses across the industry, hitting carmakers, auto lenders and rental companies.
The trend has yet to put a damper on optimism at Ford’s chief rival. General Motors Co. this month predicted profit will rise more than analysts estimate for 2017, after meeting the high end of its targets for last year. Ford and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are scheduled to report earnings on Friday.
