New York's Record October Car Low Leads a Mixed Real-Economy Week

New York State issued just 20,670 new passenger registrations in October, the smallest October total on record going back to 2024. That compares with 25,482 in October 2025, a year-on-year drop of about 19%. The New York DMV register, tracked by ORTEX, makes this the headline read on US consumer demand for new vehicles this autumn.

US Transport: Weakness on the Road, Quiet on Trucking

The car-registration weakness sits alongside a striking signal from US trucking. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data, ingested by ORTEX, shows only 274 inactive carrier registrations were added in October. That is the lowest October reading since the series began in 2020, and far below the 1,132 added in October of last year. Fewer carriers going inactive points to a trucking sector that is stabilising rather than contracting further, even as the new-car market softens.

Oregon offers a partial counterweight. Battery-electric registrations there ran 33% above June last year, according to the Oregon DMV data tracked by ORTEX. The EV pocket of the market is moving in a different direction from the broader passenger-car count.

Industrial Spending and Corporate Buybacks

Away from transport, Japan's machine tool orders data from the Japan Machine Tool Builders' Association shows domestic orders rose 46% year-on-year in September to JPY 63,929 million. That is a strong read on industrial capital spending in the region.

On the corporate-finance side, SEC programme data tracked by ORTEX shows shares repurchased under announced buyback programmes reached 223 million in July, the third consecutive monthly rise.

Automakers Reporting This Week

Several automakers report in the next two days, and ORTEX has measured registration data that leads their revenues.

PSNY reports Wednesday. Dutch car registrations, which carry a strong measured fit and lead PSNY revenue by 60 days, are running 68% below the same quarter last year with one of three months in. German car registrations, also a strong-fit lead with 50 days of advance, are running 32% above the same quarter last year, with the full quarter now in.

HMC reports Thursday. Japanese car registrations lead Honda revenue by 65 days with a strong measured fit. That series is running 10% below the same quarter last year, with all three months of the quarter now in.

7201 (Nissan) reports Monday. Japanese car registrations, same strong-fit lead, are running 21% above the same quarter last year with the full quarter complete. Italian registrations, a moderate-fit lead at 40 days, show a 16% gain year-on-year with one month in.