Auto News 5

Where auto sales stumbled in August, September brought a welcome resurgence. Although fewer cars and truck were sold in September compared to August, looking at things in the context of the historic ebb and flow between months, the September sales work out to an annual rate of 12.2 million units. Compare that to August's 10.8-million rate, and it's a happy figure indeed. In fact, it's happier than the cautiously hopeful pace we were seeing back in spring and early summer, when sales were in the 11-million-unit arena. The industry's performance in September is its most robust since the government-incentive-fueled Cash-for-Clunkers bonanza last August.