Auto News 5

Early indications were that November would see a moderation of new-car demand, but once the final tallies were counted, the Thanksgiving Weekend -- centered around every marketer's holiest holiday, Black Friday -- pushed the monthly totals to a 9% gain over last year. Beating last November was no easy feat, because November 2012 was puffed up by sales to buyers all along the East Coast who had lost cars in Hurricane Sandy. But this November's torrid annualized sales rate of 16.4 million vehicles was much better than we had seen in October, and beat the hottest months from earlier this year. If December can maintain the trifecta of brisk sales, strong transaction prices, and low incentives, it's going to be a very Merry Christmas in the auto industry.