Key Insights from CAR’s Industry Briefing: Driving the Future

Tyler Harp, Industry Economist at CAR, delivered an automotive market update, providing essential data on vehicle sales, production, and automaker investment trends, as well as the impact of recent policy changes on EVs and what to expect in the 2026 U.S. sales forecast.

Tariffs have increased the cost to manufacture vehicles in the United States but, so far, this added cost has been largely absorbed by the industry. However, recent pricing trends suggest a portion of this cost burden may be starting to be passed along to consumers.

Despite uncertainty and noise in the system, vehicle sales remained resilient in 2025, driven primarily by strong demand for SUV’s and pickup trucks. CAR will continue to track these trends and policy impacts closely as the market evolves through 2026.

Kristin Kolodge of J.D. Power shared key insights on how user experience increasingly shapes vehicle satisfaction and purchasing behavior.

Findings showed that infotainment and interoperability issues are the most common challenges drivers face, and that overall vehicle satisfaction influences willingness to recommend a vehicle more than the sheer number of problems encountered.

The takeaway for automakers and suppliers: designing for delight matters.

While implementing UX best practices can be challenging amid engineering and system constraints, strong user experience drives satisfaction, brand advocacy, and ultimately buying decisions—making UX a critical priority in future vehicle development.

Lisa Krusemark, Research Scientist at CAR, closed out the program with a CAR research update, highlighting recent collaborations and a look ahead at upcoming projects.

For those interested in a deeper dive, the presentation deck from the briefing is available below for members. If you’re interested in learning more about membership, please contact Partner@cargroup.org.