Anyone with even cursory knowledge of the automotive industry knows that 2009 saw such tumult and tremendous upheaval that we are unlikely to ever see again. Certainly the industry was crippled and nearly brought to its knees in a panic that for som...
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The "New Normal:" Are You Ready For It?
By Josh DeForest
December 11, 2009 07:49 AM

The bottom line is that we have come a long way, and the question on everyone’s mind is “where do we go from here?” While the exact answer to that question may be elusive, PIMCO CIO Bill Gross in an October 2009 article wrote of a New Normal. This,...
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(Dis)Information Overload
By Josh DeForest
October 29, 2009 10:22 AM

With abundant information available through many print and online sources it can be difficult to decipher exactly what is going on in our economy through all the noise. On one hand, you will hear claims that the recession is over and on the other, w...
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Third Time's the Charm
By Josh DeForest
October 28, 2009 12:14 PM

As an astonish example of just how messy this government bailout process can become, GMAC announced that it will require additional funds from Treasury. For those of you keeping track, this is round three (the only company to do so), as taxpayers be...
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From the Auto Finance Summit in Las Vegas
By Brad Emerson
October 16, 2009 08:32 AM

There were some reasons for optimism given by Ford's senior economist this week at the Auto Finance Summit. Check out Mr Hornblass' comments. >> Read More



Saturn Shut Down
By Brad Emerson
October 6, 2009 01:46 PM

With the Saturn division of General Motors in "shut-down mode" (as one dealer I spoke to called it), some interesting questions arise. For instance, what will happen to the value of Saturn vehicles? Owners of these vehicles, including lessors as we...
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The Unintended Effect of Cash for Clunkers
By Josh DeForest
September 18, 2009 09:00 AM

Well, the data is in and it’s no secret that we were a little (read a lot) skeptical of the Cash for Clunkers program from the get go; it’s time to see how things really stacked up.



If we remember back to when it was first proposed, ...
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White House Briefing on the Cash for Clunkers Program
By Brad Emerson
August 20, 2009 12:00 PM

PLEASE REFER MY BLOG ENTRY DATED 8/18/09 "Increasing Production - Yippee!"



Today, White House administration officials strained a right Subscapularis, and possibly also the Rhomboid Minor, patting themselves on the back for giving aw...
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From Boom to Bust and Back
By Josh DeForest
August 19, 2009 12:00 PM

The United States has seen auto sales rise and fall in dramatic fashion like never before. It was not all that long ago that auto makers were pumping out over 17 million new cars per year. That is 1 in 17 Americans buying a new car every year. And ...
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Increasing Production - Yippee!
By Brad Emerson
August 18, 2009 12:00 PM

The word on the street in the auto dealer business is that lots of dealers are getting light in inventory. GM made the news today saying they were going to add 60,000 vehicles to their production target for the year. Last week, Ford said they were ...
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Cash For Clunkers: One small step for the economy…not much better for the environment
By Josh DeForest
August 6, 2009 12:00 PM

On July 24th the Obama administration launched its “Cash For Clunkers” program designed to stimulate the economy and improve carbon emissions in one fell swoop. With the current budget for the program, we estimate there is enough funds to take in ab...
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