Auto sales forecast

SANTA MONICA, CALIF.

Edmunds, an auto-industry analyst, projects that auto sales will decline in 2019, continuing a trend that began in 2017.

Analysts forecast that 16.9 million new vehicles will be sold in 2019 compared with an expected 17.2 million this year, according to the Edmunds 2019 Forecast and Trends Report.

Edmunds notes, however, that auto sales remain historically high, driven by factors such as low unemployment, high consumer confidence and low gas prices.