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Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) and Auto Sales: Edmunds Releases Official November Forecast

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Posted 29 Nov 2011 — by Demian Russian
Category Analyst Coverage, Automotive, Sirius XM (SIRI) News

By Demian Russian

With Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) needing to bring in 442,000 new subscribers during the fourth quarter to meet its full-year subscriber guidance of 1.6 million net additions and the company deriving the large majority of its new subscribers additions from OEM Satellite Radio activations, investors are closely watching the auto sales channel for signs off strength heading into the close of year.

There were positive forces in the auto market in November, as more inventory was available and automakers began year-end holiday sales events. Deal-oriented messages work more effectively than ever before.

– Jessica Caldwell, Senior Analyst, Edmunds.com

Edmunds.com released their official November auto sales forecast today and reports that they are seeing positive forces in the auto industry which will push the U.S. new vehicle sales SAAR (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate) for November to the highest level of the year. Edmunds is forecasting total November new car sales of 991,296, which will translate into a 13.6 million SAAR. Read More

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Tags: auto sales, Demian Russian, Edmunds, Edmunds.com, F, Ford, forecast, General Motors, GM, HMC, Honda, Jessica Caldwell, NASDAQ, NASDAQ: SIRI, NASDAQ:SIRI, NYSE, NYSE:F, NYSE:GM, NYSE:HMC, NYSE:TM, OEM, production, radio, Ray Zhou, SAAR, Satellite Radio, SIRI, Sirius, Sirius XM, Sirius XM Radio, SiriusXM, Subscribers, Thailand, TM, Toyota, XM

Sirius XM (SIRI): Jessica Caldwell To Preview Edmunds’ September Auto Sales Forecast — Tonight At 8:00PM ET

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Posted 22 Sep 2010 — by Demian Russian
Category Sirius XM (SIRI) News

by Demian Russian

How are auto sales shaping up for Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ: SIRI) for the month of September? Tune into Playground Radio tonight, Wednesday, September 22nd at 8:00PM ET, for an exclusive, live interview with Jessica Caldwell, Director of Pricing and Industry Analysis at Edmunds. Jessica Caldwell will be offering a preview of Edmunds’ official September forecast before it’s released tomorrow. Caldwell will be interviewed by Demian Russian, with Brian “Newman” Rayl and Dennis “Cos” Costa, about the current state of the U.S. auto industry and how auto sales are shaping up for the rest of the year. With auto sales so important to Sirius XM’s subscriber growth and business model, the current state as well as the future outlook for U.S. auto sales will be discussed.

Jessica Caldwell is the Director of Pricing and Industry Analysis at Edmunds. She has been with the company since July 2006, having come from Subaru’s product planning department where she served as the Forester Car Line Manager. Earlier in her career, she was a product strategy specialist for Mitsubishi and worked in the dealership real estate division of Toyota Motor Sales, USA. Caldwell earned her BS in Business Administration from the University of Southern California.

With many automaker incentive programs winding down on the heels of Labor Day Weekend, there were signs that auto sales had softened, according to a September 16th Edmunds report. According to that Edmunds report, auto sales for the full month of September were tracking at a SAAR (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate) of approximately 11.3 million. Edmunds senior analyst Ray Zhou noted that “as soon as the holiday weekend was over, car-shopping activity fell about 40 percent.” Ford (NYSE: F), Chrysler, Volkswagen, and BMW sales were all lagging when compared to their sales pace for the first two weeks in August. Most of the other automakers were maintaining stable sales, with Toyota (NYSE: TM) and Nissan showing single digit improvements, when compared to the same period. Jessica Caldwell noted that “the sales trendline for the rest of the year may begin tracking downward.” Read More

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Tags: auto sales, BMW, Brian "Newman" Rayl, Chrysler, Demian Russian, Dennis "Cos" Costa, Edmunds, Edmunds.com, F, Ford, Jessica Caldwell, NASDAQ:SIRI, Nissan, NYSE:F, NYSE:TM, Playground Radio, Ray Zhou, SAAR, Satellite Radio, September, SIRI, Sirius, Sirius XM, SiriusXM, TM, Toyota, Volkeswagon, XM

Edmunds Forecasts July Auto Sales: Good News For Sirius XM (SIRI)

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Posted 30 Jul 2010 — by Dennis "Cos" Costa
Category Sirius XM (SIRI) News

By Dennis “Cos” Costa

On July 29th Edmunds.com released its forecast for July auto sales and the news was encouraging. Edmunds is expecting the strongest sales month since Cash-for-Clunkers just a year ago. For Sirius XM Radio (NASDAQ:SIRI) this can only be good news. With Sirius XM being so closely tied to the automotive industry’s recovery and their continued growth, due to their contracts with automakers to factory install their radios, continued stability in vehicle sales is welcomed by Sirius XM shareholders.

Edmunds sees July vehicle sales, including fleet, coming in at 1,064,00 units, an increase of 8.4% from July 2009, and an 8.9% increase from June of 2010. These numbers represent to Edmunds.com analysts that July’s Seasonally Adjusted Annualized Rate (SAAR) will be 11.8M, up from 11.1M in June 2010.

“July sales numbers should be the highest we’ve seen since last August’s Cash-for-Clunkers frenzy. Retail demand for new cars this month has been the strongest of the year, even more than in March when Toyota launched an aggressive incentive campaign and other automakers followed suit”

Ray Zhou, PHD, Senior Analyst for Edmunds.com

U.S. automakers’ market share for July is estimated to be 44.9%, down sequentially from 46.8% in June 2010 and up year-over-year from 44.3% in July 2009. July 2010 had 27 selling days, one more than July 2009. When adjusted for this difference, sales increased 4.4% overall from July 2009.

“Consumers have been conditioned to think that the summer is a great time to pick up a deal on a new car. The bargain-hunting mentality that reigns in the marketplace today, and automakers’ ads promoting the clearance of old inventory, are driving people to dealerships in search of deals which, frankly aren’t all that generous this year.”

Jessica Caldwell, Senior Analyst at Edmunds.com

Despite there being an actual lack of incentives available and deals being offered by automakers, the perception is still out there for consumers that these sales numbers are representing a demand for what the automakers are presenting at each given price point. Read More

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