Kelley Blue Book estimates that new vehicle sales rose about 1% in September, compared with the same month last year, increasing from 1.43 million in September 2016 to 1.44 million last month. Edmunds.com estimates sales were a bit lower (about 1.435 million in September), representing a 0.4% increase from last year.
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which impacted major markets in Texas and Florida, softened August sales a bit nationwide but, as 2017 draws to a close, hundreds of thousands of damaged vehicles will need to be replaced. Combine the need to replaced damaged vehicles with an increase in manufacturer incentives to clear excess inventory, and analysts anticipate increased new vehicle sales through the end of the year.