U.S. light-vehicle sales closed out August at a year-to-date SAAR of 16.95 million units. August sales were strong due to an additional selling weekend and the inclusion of Labor Day weekend sales events in the August sales results.

Most dealerships in Florida avoided disruptions to sales from Hurricane Dorian, while some dealerships in the Carolinas dealt with temporary shutdowns due to strong winds and heavy rains.

On the whole, though, sales were solid for the month. According to J.D. Power, retail volume was up 1.3% to a 13.67 million SAAR for the month compared to August of last year. As has been the trend for several years now, the crossover segment continued to gain market share, representing 40.2% of all new vehicles sold. The pickup segment also posted market share gains, while all other segments declined. For the rest of the year, we expect sales to fall slightly, closing out the year with sales of 16.8 million units.