Cox Automotive Forecasts 2026 New-Vehicle Sales at 15.8 Million, Down From 2025 as Market Fragmentation Slows Growth – PR Newswire
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Jan 06, 2026, 15:40 ET
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ATLANTA, Jan. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Cox Automotive, the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider, today released its 2026 automotive industry outlook, projecting new-vehicle sales in the U.S. to hit 15.8 million units in 2026, down 2.4% from 2025 levels. Most forecasted metrics for the automotive market, according to Cox Automotive, are expected to be lower than in 2025, a year that outperformed most expectations.
“The fact is, most vehicle sales metrics in 2025 were slightly stronger than many forecast – including us,” said Jeremy Robb, interim chief economist at Cox Automotive. “Our 2026 forecast reflects a slowing market, but still a good one. While we’re expecting most sales metrics to be lower compared to 2025, the expected declines are modest, and we think there will be good news on interest rates and tax returns that help the auto market in the first half of 2026.”
A Market Defined by Fragmentation
The Cox Automotive forecast is shaped in part by major forces pulling the economy in different directions, which will simultaneously help and hinder the auto industry in the year ahead.
2026 Auto Market Forecast Highlights
Cox Automotive’s 2026 outlook calls for a slowing but stable U.S. auto market, with most sales metrics expected to dip slightly from 2025 levels.
See the full Cox Automotive forecast: 2026 Cox Automotive Forecast
See the forecast presentation from December 17, 2025: Replay Available: Cox Automotive Q4 2025 Industry Insights and 2026 Forecast Call
For more information on the market forces impacting the forecast: Fragmented Reality: 5 Forces to Shape the Auto Industry in 2026
About Cox Automotive
Cox Automotive is the world’s largest automotive services and technology provider. Fueled by the largest breadth of first-party data fed by 2.3 billion online interactions a year, Cox Automotive tailors leading solutions for car shoppers, auto manufacturers, dealers, lenders and fleets. The company has 29,000+ employees on five continents and a portfolio of industry-leading brands that include Autotrader®, Kelley Blue Book®, Manheim®, vAuto®, Dealertrack®, NextGear Capital™, CentralDispatch® and FleetNet America®. Cox Automotive is a subsidiary of Cox Enterprises Inc., a privately owned, Atlanta-based company with $23 billion in annual revenue. Visit coxautoinc.com or connect via @CoxAutomotive on X, CoxAutoInc on Facebook or Cox-Automotive-Inc on LinkedIn.
SOURCE Cox Automotive
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