Automakers' December Surge Seen Wrapping Record U.S. Sales Year
- Carmakers drew customers with year-end and holiday promotions
- SUV sales spurred by new products, low gasoline prices
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Armed with year-end promotions and five weekends to deploy them, automakers put a on what will probably be a record sales year in the U.S.
The biggest U.S. and Asian automakers will all report December gains of at least 10 percent on Tuesday, spurring the industry to an annualized selling rate of 18 million when adjusted for seasonal trends -- a record for the month -- according to analysts’ projections in a Bloomberg survey. That would secure a full-year total of 17.5 million car and light truck sales, breaking the record of 17.4 million set in 2000.