Dec. 22, 2015—Edmunds.com forecasts that 1,688,167 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. during the month of December for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 17.8 million, which would make it the fourth best-selling month on record. This month’s performance will bring sales to 17.5 million in 2015, surpassing the previous record of 17.35 million in 2000.
"It's truly remarkable that the auto industry is finishing off its best year ever just six years after the depths of the Great Recession," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds.com director of industry analysis. "Low-APR offers and tumbling gas prices are making it easy for shoppers to buy or lease a new car, but don't overlook the products themselves. If you're buying a new car today, you're getting a safer, more fuel-efficient and more technologically-packed vehicle than ever before. Automakers are doing a great job giving the people what they want in a new car."
Edmunds forecasts that sales in December will be a 27.9 percent increase from November 2015 and a 12.3 percent increase from December 2014. It also estimates that retail SAAR will come in at 15.1 million vehicles in December, with fleet transactions accounting for 15.2 percent of total sales. An estimated 2.59 million used cars will be sold in December, for an SAAR of 37.3 million, compared to 2.75 million in November.
