DETROIT — Ten days into the government shutdown, automotive industry experts are cautiously monitoring the status of vehicle sales. Most but not all automakers claim sales have not dropped as a result of the shutdown, but some experts expect the automobile industry will experience a drop in sales with each passing week, reports The Detroit News.

“The longer it drags on, the more serious it becomes,” Jeff Schuster, vice president of vehicle forecasting at LMC Automotive, told The Detroit News. “It potentially has the ability to derail the momentum the industry has built over the past couple of years. It goes well beyond the furloughed federal employees. It’s all about consumer confidence.”

Earlier this month, Hyundai was the only manufacturer to attribute a slowdown in September sales to troubles in Washington, D.C. David Zuchowski, executive vice president of national sales for the Korean automaker, said the fear of a possible government shutdown and the launch of the Affordable Care Act is what led to an 8.2 decrease in September sales.

To read The Detroit News’ full story, click here.