Paris Auto Show Coverage Overlooks Industry Troubles

Photo of Trey Thoelcke
By Trey Thoelcke Published
This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

The Paris Auto Show had its usual large number of new model introductions, along with dozens and dozens of displays of cars and light trucks already on sale around the world. Products from Audi, Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM) and Renault were particularly visible.

Among all of the glitter there probably was not a single industry leader who did not complain that the worldwide auto business is in deep trouble. Not only are European sales plummeting, but China’s activity has flattened. That leaves U.S. sales, which have been unusually strong the past two years, but could begin to drop next year along with the American economy.

Despite these problems, most press coverage of the event ignores the trouble and focuses on vehicles most people will not be able to buy. A sample of that coverage from The Los Angeles Times:

Jaguar used the 2012 Paris Motor Show to unveil its long-awaited F-Type convertible. So named to evoke memories of the car’s spiritual predecessor, the eternally gorgeous E-Type, this new two-seat Jag will take aim at the likes of Porsche’s Boxster/Cayman and possibly the 911.

It will interesting to see how many of those are sold.

Douglas A. McIntyre

Photo of Trey Thoelcke
About the Author Trey Thoelcke →

Trey has been an editor and author at 24/7 Wall St. for more than a decade, where he has published thousands of articles analyzing corporate earnings, dividend stocks, short interest, insider buying, private equity, and market trends. His comprehensive coverage spans the full spectrum of financial markets, from blue-chip stalwarts to emerging growth companies.

Beyond 24/7 Wall St., Trey has created and edited financial content for Benzinga and AOL's BloggingStocks, contributing additional hundreds of articles to the investment community. He previously oversaw the 24/7 Climate Insights site, managing editorial operations and content strategy, and currently oversees and creates content for My Investing News.

Trey's editorial expertise extends across multiple publishing environments. He served as production editor at Dearborn Financial Publishing and development editor at Kaplan, where he helped shape financial education materials. Earlier in his career, he worked as a writer-producer at SVE. His freelance editing portfolio includes work for prestigious clients such as Sage Publications, Rand McNally, the Institute for Supply Management, the American Library Association, Eggplant Literary Productions, and Spiegel.

Outside of financial journalism, Trey writes fiction and has been an active member of the writing community for years, overseeing a long-running critique group and moderating workshop sessions at regional conventions. He lives with his family in an old house in the Midwest.

Featured Reads

Our top personal finance-related articles today. Your wallet will thank you later.

Continue Reading

Top Gaining Stocks

CBOE Vol: 1,568,143
PSKY Vol: 12,285,993
STX Vol: 7,378,346
ORCL Vol: 26,317,675
DDOG Vol: 6,247,779

Top Losing Stocks

LKQ
LKQ Vol: 4,367,433
CLX Vol: 13,260,523
SYK Vol: 4,519,455
MHK Vol: 1,859,865
AMGN Vol: 3,818,618