Baltimore Checkbook: U.S. car and truck makers are braced for a downshift this year, but here's what sold like hotcakes in 2018

Monday, February 4, 2019

U.S. car and truck makers are braced for a downshift this year, but here's what sold like hotcakes in 2018

U.S. auto manufacturers predict new-vehicle sales will hit a five-year low in 2019 amid rising interest rates and escalating trade tensions abroad. Industry analysts anticipate U.S. auto sales will drop to 16.8 million units this year, down roughly 500,000 units from 2018’s total and off nearly 4 percent from a record 17.5 million units sold in 2016. This year is expected to mark the first time since 2014 that U.S. new-vehicle sales will fall below 17 million units. “The U.S. auto industry is…