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The Global Auto Industry Is Likely in First Recession Since 2009

The Global Auto Industry Is Likely in First Recession Since 2009

Out of Gas
Out of Gas

The global auto industry is poised for its first sustained production drop since the financial crisis, according to RBC Capital Markets.

Worldwide light-vehicle output fell 2.9 percent in the third quarter and probably will decline about 4 percent in the fourth quarter, analyst Joe Spak wrote in a report Wednesday. This will be the first back-to-back industrywide drop since 2009, he said.

Automakers probably will produce about 94.6 million vehicles this year, down 0.6 percent from 2017, according to RBC’s estimates. The analysts are projecting output will drop again by 0.4 percent in 2019, with tempered growth resuming in the following years.

Out of Gas

Global automotive production may slip this year and next, RBC says

Source: RBC Capital Markets

Note: Figures from 2018 onward are estimates

Read more: World’s Biggest Auto Markets Flash Yellow and Red