Auto industry sees gains

According to a leading auto dealership company, there are more people purchasing new vehicles, likely due to an increase to auto industry financing. AutoNation reported that new car sales in the month of September had risen by 3 percent, to total 18,670. Two of the biggest areas that saw improvements were sales of its domestic models, which recorded a 17 percent increase in total sales during the month, and sales of premium luxury vehicles, which gained 16 percent. Sales for foreign car models slid, however, falling a total of 8 percent. Many auto makers have seen increasing sales numbers. Leading the way was Chrysler, which reported a 27.2 percent increase in year-over-year sales. "I don’t know of any other month where we had positive gains in auto sales with all of those negative factors," Jesse Toprak, vice president for industry trends and insight at TrueCar.com, which tracks sales and pricing, said in an interview with the newspaper. "The automakers might be convincing some consumers who may not be so eager to spend their money to buy a car because the product is so compelling."