Economics
U.S. Auto Sales Beat September Estimates as Pickups Carry Load
- Data suggest industry’s six-year growth streak not over yet
- Nissan, Fiat Chrysler lead charge amid record incentives
Breaking Down the September U.S. Auto Sales Numbers
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Light-vehicle sales in September came in stronger than analysts had estimated, fueled by record incentives, suggesting there’s still some steam left in the U.S. auto industry’s six-year growth spurt.
The annualized selling rate adjusted for seasonal trends reached 17.8 million, the second-fastest pace of the year, according to researcher Autodata Corp. While that pace is off from 18.1 million a year earlier, it’s faster than any analyst estimate in a Bloomberg survey. The average projection was for a 17.5 million rate.