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Morgan Stanley Slashes U.S. Auto Sales View Over Virus ‘Shock’

Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
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Morgan Stanley’s auto analyst sliced his estimate for U.S. sales this year, predicting a “demand shock” from consumers delaying big-ticket purchases because of the coronavirus.

Industrywide deliveries may drop about 9% to 15.5 million vehicles this year, analyst Adam Jonas wrote in a report Wednesday. In addition to cutting his sales projection from 16.5 million, he trimmed earnings estimates for General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and five auto-dealer groups.