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Pitcher Partners’ 2026 Motor Industry Update: Challenges ahead

Inside Line

Pitcher Partners has delivered its 2026 motor industry update to dealer audiences around the country. The data is pointed, several predictions are already proving accurate, and the arithmetic isn't especially kind to operators who've been coasting.

Mike Sinclair
30 March 2026 · 4 min read

The Pitcher Partners Motor Industry Update has become one of the more reliable fixtures on the Australian automotive calendar, not because it tells the industry what it wants to hear, but largely because it doesn't.

The March 2026 edition, presented by partners Steven Bragg, John Gavljak and Diana Kao, arrived with the usual arsenal of data and a tone that sits somewhere between forensic and frank. For dealer principals navigating what Pitcher Partners describes as the beginning of a reckoning, the timing couldn't be more pointed.

Here's our key takeaways and what they mean.

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Mike Sinclair
Mike Sinclair
Partner and Principal Columnist, TheAutoExec Network

Mike Sinclair is an equity partner and Principal Columnist for TheAutoExec Network. Mike has been testing and writing about cars, motorcycles and more for over 30 years. He was a key executive team member when ACP Media and Carsales formed Australia's leading automotive, industrial, marine and motorcycle online network in the 2000s, and the driving force behind the launch of motoring.com.au. For two decades, Mike led the large multimedia and editorial team at Carsales, and all PR and corporate communications. With significant exposure to both OEM and dealership disciplines, Mike now consults with a number of key brands on a range of automotive and powersports opportunities.

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