A Yardstick to Help Measure the State of the State’s Economy

California New Car Sales on a Slow But Steady Recovery

SACRAMENTO – The California New Car Dealers Association  announced that registrations of new cars and trucks in California continued to increase through the third quarter.

“Serious car buyers are returning to the market and fueling the California auto industry’s slow but steady recovery,” said Peter Welch, the association’s president.

California’s new vehicle registrations increased 14.6 percent during the first nine months of this year versus the same period last year, higher than the 10.3 percent improvement in the U.S. market.  Fourth quarter sales are forecast to continue to increase throughout the state.

The California Auto Outlook Third Quarter 2010 Market Report provides comprehensive information on the state’s new vehicle market with charts and graphs. The report includes: a segment watch, including the top selling vehicles in each segment; a market perspective, comparing California nationally; brand scoreboards; a regional recap and more.

(Editor’s Note: A look at the complete report shows that sales in the third quarter were  up just .2 percent over the same period in 2009. Most of the sales improvement occurred in the first quarter — 19.8 percent higher than 2009 — and the second quarter, 26 percent higher. The report also says that the flat third quarter was expected given a higher level of sales in the third quarter of 2009 spurred by the “Cash for Clunkers” program.

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