Over my many years in law, real estate, finance and asset monetization I have been a part of numerous debates among colleagues regarding which of the vast complexities associated with starting up a large scale division or branch of a business in Mexico – particularly as an extension of a company based outside the country – is the most daunting.

January 18, 2021 – The seasonally adjusted annualized rate of sales (SAAR) for lightduty vehicles topped 16 million vehicles in December for the third month since April, when the industry slumped to a 50-year low. For the full year, light-duty vehicle sales totalled 14.6 million, a decrease of 14% from 2019.

By the middle of November, the last of the six companies comprising the Hilco Parts Index (HPI) had reported their financial results for the third quarter. The common, albeit unexpected, refrain was “We are pleased with our results for the quarter”.

October 5, 2020 – The seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of sales (SAAR) for U.S. deliveries of light-duty vehicles reached 16.4 million vehicles in the month of September. That is a much better result than most expected back in April when the industry slumped to a 50-year low of 8.7 million vehicles.

July 14, 2020 – After a 50% drop in U.S. deliveries of light vehicles, the seasonally adjusted, annualized rate of sales (SAAR) for April had fallen to 8.6 million vehicles. Anxious to generate some cash flow, automakers offered generous incentives to encourage nervous would-be buyers to get back in the market. After all but disappearing in March, zero percent finance offers represented a record high 25.8% of all new financed purchases in the month of May according to Edmunds.com.

For the first time, in a very long time, the trailing twelve-month (TTM) net sales for the Hilco Parts Index (HPI) decreased from year-ago levels.

In this article we take a look at ecommerce and its impact on both consumer purchasing behaviors and brick and mortar businesses, with an eye toward what the future after COVID-19 may hold for those competing in the Automotive Aftermarket.

Trailing twelve-month (TTM) net sales for the Hilco Parts Index (HPI) totaled $65.1 billion at the end of the first quarter of 2020, a 2.5% increase from one year earlier. However, net sales for just the first quarter were $15.7 billion, a decrease of 2.6% from the first quarter of 2019.

Debtwire senior legal analyst Richard Goldman sits down with Hilco’s Steven Wolf and Keith Spacapan to discuss the impact that COVID-19 has had on the US automotive industry.