Best August auto sales since 2003 surprise industry - Detroit Free Press
auto sales beat all expectations in August, coming in at the highest sales pace since July 2005 despite having one less selling day than last year, a quirk in the calendar that pushed Labor Day into September, and a volatile stock market as the... It was the best August since 2003 and defied the expectations of virtually every forecasting company, largely because last year's August tally had the benefit of the Labor Day holiday. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles was up 1. 7% and General Motors saw its sales drop 0. 7% as the overall industry reported stronger sales than expected for the month. Companies that rely on car sales more than trucks reported some of the bigger sales declines. Honda sales were down 7% to 155,491 with the Honda Odyssey minivan and the Acura RDX among the few gainers. Volkswagen's sales fell 8% to 32,332 and Nissan's sales increased 1% to 133,351 for the month. Kia did well, with its best-ever August sales of 58,897 vehicles, an 8% increase and the brand’s fourth straight monthly sales record. Source: www.freep.com
