The average age of cars and light trucks in the U.S. reached a record 12.8 years in 2025, with passenger cars averaging 14.5 years and light trucks 11.9 years, driven mostly by high vehicle prices and improved durability. This continues a trend of drivers keeping their vehicles longer, with 70% of all vehicles on the road being over 6 years old now.
Yet still, annual car sales in the United States in 2026 reached 16.3 million vehicles sold at dealerships…the best results since pre-covid. However, forecasts for 2026 project a dip in sales to a projected 15.8 million vehicles being sold.
There are many factors in play affecting the downward trend in new car sales; car loan delinquencies are at a four-year high, average ‘new car payments’ reached a record $781/month in 2025, financial automotive lenders offering new car loans for 100 months, and of course the collapse of the EV market. Car manufacturers posted disastrous financial results recently. FORD posted an $11 Billion loss in the 4th quarter of 2025. Honda’s third quarter profits slumped 60% due to EV restructuring actions.
Bob Wills
CEO | The PM Group
About The PM Group: Since 1988, The PM Group has been one of top advertising agencies in Texas with annual revenues over $55,000,000. Founded by CEO | Media Director, Bob Wills, the San Antonio-based agency has represented clients across numerous verticals and industries including financial, casual dining and delivery, cultural institutions, home services, sports marketing, entertainment, automotive, legal services, nonprofit organizations, and more. Over the past five years, The PM Group has continued to grow organically through the addition of new clients and by expanding current clients’ marketing efforts. Additionally, the agency continues its renown legacy of charitable giving with each consecutive year outpacing the prior in terms of actual dollars raised and the number of charitable recipients. The PM Group now raises over $2M annually, with the agency’s 10-year total surpassing $17 million dollars. In addition to the primary San Antonio, Texas office, the agency has remote offices in Arizona, Oklahoma, Massachusetts and Virginia.
