Paul A. Eisenstein, NBC News
It was a disappointing holiday season for many retailers, but U.S. car dealers have been eager ringing up sales as the year wraps up.
If you hold preliminary figures for December, 2012 might be the industry's best year since the long recession and began painfully weak recovery. And 2013, design is up to even better-unless auto sales from the fiscal Cliff fall.
"I hope clearly, we get some bipartisan effort to avoid the fiscal cliff," said Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford Jr. "It is extremely important for the economy, we will work this out."
This particularly applies to the automotive industry. After nearly half a decade, fights are automakers 2012 positive end. November saw demand for new cars, trucks and crossovers-wave at a double-digit pace. In fact, all-time records set a number of manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, Honda, Nissan and Porsche sales for the month. By late November, Hyundai had already beaten its previous full-year record in 2011.
December, meanwhile, is likely a further gain of about 15 percent higher than last year, see according to a prognosis by LMC automotive. The consulting firm has now 2012 his final prognosis for all 14.5 million increased and expected conservative a more comfortable jump next year.
"The U.S. light vehicle market still a bright spot in the global environment be tremulous," said Jeff Schuster, LMC's senior Vice President for the forecast. "The only major roadblock ahead for the U.S. market is the fiscal cliff. "Assume that 2013 is the hurdle is a stable and sustainable growth for cars with volume above the mark of 15 million units a step closer."
Blocking this setback expect increasingly changing the way of the vehicles analysts, Americans have the purchase.
Upcoming North American International Auto show is a selection of new products and the debut of the new 2014 Chevrolet will function and the next-generation Silverado Pickup Chevy Corvette be expected two star attractions. But the floor of the Detroit Cobo Center with a variety of smaller models, including pint-sized urban Honda's SUV concept and the new Lincoln MKC compact luxury crossover are covered.
- And C-segment models - compact cars such as the updated Fiesta in 2013 and condensed - Ford's COO have jumped from 13 percent of the total U.S. market to 24 percent since 2004, according to mark fields, Ford B. And the trend is expected to be even faster continues forward.
If anything, Americans drive trains even faster are reduction, trade with V-6s for inline fours and traditional V 8s for high tech Turbo V-6s to give up at all. Six-cylinder engines now account for more than half of the demand in Ford's big F-series pickup, said fields.
While the demand for smaller models float is to have some traditional American cars remained strong - especially pickups. Thanks to strong growth in the housing market in recent months, said Mark Reuss, President of operations at General Motors in North America.
While the so-called "captive" has largely dried up segment, there is considerable demand for contractors and other professionals for pickups and other full-size trucks, something that the Detroit three the big hope to use to their advantage, as they see themselves continue to import competitors such as Nissan and Toyota.
Pent-up demand is expected to be all floating boats, says analyst Joe Phillippi, from the largest to the smallest market segments. It helps, he adds that car interest rates are at historic lows.
On the other hand, policymakers have incentives were cut back as demand supply, especially of the more popular models like the Hyundai Elantra and exceeds the new Honda Accord. There are still good deals on slower selling models, but by TrueCar.com Research shows that incentives at the lowest level slipped for years have, even as prices - the price customers actually - increased numbers, to close to record levels.
And that is in the music industry revenue to translate at least in North America. The market against trends in many parts of the world runs ironically. European car sales were in free fall all year, and only a few see a short-term solution without a clear resolution of the economic crisis of the continent. Even China, annual growth rates approaching 100 percent has seen in the past ten years, has begun to stumble.
Decision makers from all over the world so, again look in the United States that carry the load. The good news is that "The forecast ahead looks even better," top US Manager, Toyota recently, said Jim Lentz, added to that "analysts expect, that we will reach 16 million in just a few years."
That is still far behind the US record sold 17.5 million vehicles in 2005, but it is still a welcome turn of the devastating crisis that has left the industry just behind.
