by Calculated Risk on 12/21/2023 04:00:00 PM

From WardsAuto: December U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Tracking to End Year on Positive Note (pay content).  Brief excerpt:

Higher inventory and increased discounting, combined with a rebound in fleet deliveries, will lead December's results. With Q4 totaling a 15.5 million-unit annualized rate, sales in entire-2023 will total a 4-year-high 15.4 million units. Inventory will enter 2024 31% higher than a year ago.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows actual sales from the BEA (Blue), and Wards forecast for December (Red).

On a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis, the Wards forecast of 15.7 million SAAR, would be up 2.5% from last month, and up 16% from a year ago.

Vehicle sales in 2023 will be at the highest level since 2019 (pre-pandemic).