2010 ends on a high note for dealers and automakers

2010 ends on a high note for dealers and automakers

The year 2010 is closing on a comparatively high note for WANADA dealers and their compatriots as December car and truck sales in the United States look to be the highest of the year. Full-year sales are expected to total 11.5 million vehicles.

Edmunds.com says December sales will total 1,127,000 units nationwide, the highest sales month since the Cash for Clunkers program of August 2009. Sales of 11.5 million vehicles for 2010 would be about 11 percent higher than 2009’s 10.4 million vehicles.

The turnaround in the auto industry has been particularly beneficial to auto dealers according to Sageworks, a financial research company, which report that dealerships were the most successful type of business in 2010, with a total sales increase of 18.25%, beating dentists (7.56%), doctors (5.26%), funeral homes (4.93%) and lawyers (4.60%), all of which also saw gains for 2010.

The auto industry comprised 3.6% of the U.S. economy in 2010, or $500 billion of U.S. economic output. The company says car dealerships and auto companies performing well is a promising sign of a continuing national economic recovery along with a booming Wall Street.

Edmunds.com says the positive close of 2010 sets the U.S. auto industry up for an improved 2011, with sales expected to rise to about 12.9 million vehicles. Heres hoping both prove correct.