No Matter How You Calculate It, Car Sales are Up In August 2013

SANTA MONICA, CA--Aug. 30, 2013: Edmunds.com forecasts that 1,455,911 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in August for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 15.6 million. The projected sales will be a 10.9 percent increase from July 2013, and a 13.3 percent increase from August 2012.

"Car buyers are continuing their steady march into car dealerships and they'll keep marching right through Labor Day weekend with attractive deals and promotions luring them in," says Edmunds.com Senior Analyst Michelle Krebs. "While retail sales are strong in August, automakers are further reducing their dependence on fleet sales. This month's fleet percentage of total sales looks to be the lowest since at least 2007, and the result will be stronger resale values for customers buying new cars and healthier bottom lines for automakers."

AUTOMAKER PERFORMANCE

Edmunds.com projects that General Motors could deliver its highest single-month sales (266,868) since September 2008. GM also stands to gain the biggest piece of market share (+0.5 percentage points) of any major manufacturer from July to August.

Meanwhile, Honda's projected 19.3% year-over-year sales increase will be the biggest gain by any major automaker in August.