A finance manager employed by an automobile dealership believes that the number of cars sold in his local market can be predicted by the interest rate charged for a loan.
| Interest Rate (%) |
Number of Cars Sold (100s) |
| 3 |
10 |
| 5 |
7 |
| 6 |
5 |
| 8 |
2 |
The finance manager performed a regression analysis of the number of cars sold and interest rates using the sample of data above. Shown below is a portion of the regression output.
| Regression Statistics |
| Multiple R |
0.998868 |
| R2 |
0.997738 |
| |
Coefficient |
| Intercept |
14.88462 |
| Interest Rate |
-1.61538 |
- Are there factors other than interest rate charged for a loan that the finance manager should consider in predicting future car sales?
- Is interest rate charged for a loan the most important factor to be considered in predicting future car sales? Explain your reasoning.The dealership's vice-president of marketing has requested a sales forecast at the prevailing interest rate of 7%.
- As finance manager, what reasons would you convey to the vice-president in recommending this forecasting model?
- Is the prediction of car sales at 7% a reflection of the current downturn in the economy? How might this impact the dealership's business?