2026 New Car Pricing Outlook: Market Demand Trends Buyers Should Watch New-car prices will likely stay elevated in 2026 even as demand cools. Automakers retain pricing power thanks to a premium-leaning inventory mix and selective incentives, while hybrids gain momentum and reshape availability. Industry trackers peg the 2026 U.S. sales outlook near 15.8 million, down from 2025’s pace, suggesting more pockets of deal-making but not a broad rollback in prices. Average transaction prices (ATP) sit …