As dockworkers strike at ports on the East and Gulf coasts, Julie Hyman and Josh Lipton sit down with Cox Automotive executive analyst Erin Keating to discuss what the work stoppage means for the auto industry. is

“The longevity of this strike will have some impact down the long term, but right now we don’t expect it to be felt immediately on dealership lots. We’re currently sitting on good inventory across the U.S.” “Especially with European brands that are above the national average inventory and that’s a lot of European brands that are coming through the East Coast and so we’re not sure consumers are going to be feeling quite as worried yet.” Keating told Yahoo Finance.

Analysts add, “In fact, it may serve dealers to have more customers coming in and a lot of supply on the ground at the moment, where we may see some reductions in parts over time.” There is pressure, and certainly again in the future, depending on how long it takes, we may see some pressure in broad strokes on vehicles coming into the country.”

European automakers are most at risk of being affected by supply chain disruptions due to the strike because they typically ship to the East Coast, she says, noting that “a lot of this has been going on for a long time. In the docket. People have been able to prepare. We have heard that the automotive brands have been able to prepare.

“What we might see is a little bit more interstate traffic, if you will, either with rail or with truck, just because we now have to accommodate different routes across the country with “One or more containers were delivered to the East Coast earlier than expected, and therefore just more movement within the East Coast and the Gulf Coast,” Keating explained. are

With the port strike only adding to the uncertainty of an election year, Keating says some muted auto sales activity is expected. “We expected things to be quiet or stable before the elections. We know people are sitting on the sidelines, waiting, just to see what happens with this election. Analysts would have expected “There will be more momentum by the end of the year.”

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This post was written by Naomi Buchanan.