U.S. Auto Sales Seen Falling in 2017, With Trucks Aiding Profit
- Survey finds average estimate of 17.2 million for next year
- ‘Still a great year,’ dealer group economist says of outlook
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U.S. sales of cars and light trucks will probably fall next year by the equivalent of a single factory’s output, analysts and economists say. And they’re just fine with that.
Deliveries may drop to about 17.2 million light vehicles next year, the average of 10 analysts’ estimates in a Bloomberg survey. That would be about 1 percent to 2 percent fewer than the projections for this year’s total. As retail demand softens, the biggest automakers are trimming production, particularly of slow-selling car models.