Storm delays lift already strong US auto sales

DETROIT — Superstorm Sandy gave an extra boost to U.S. auto sales, making November the best month for carmakers in nearly five years.

Toyota, Volkswagen and Chrysler were among the companies posting impressive increases for November, which is normally a lackluster month because of colder weather and holiday distractions. Only General Motors was left struggling to explain yet another month of weak growth.

Industry sales rose 15 percent from a year earlier to 1.1 million, according to AutoData. That was their fastest pace since January 2008. U.S. sales would reach 15.5 million this year if they stayed at November’s rate, far higher than the 14.3 million rate in the first 10 months of this year.

Americans are more confident in the economy, a key driver of auto sales. Home values are rising, hiring is up and auto financing remains readily available. And besides just feeling better, people need to replace aging cars or vehicles damaged by Sandy.

“Everything is kind of moving along almost in concert now,” says Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting for LMC Automotive.

Sandy added 20,000 to 30,000 sales industry wide last month, mostly from people who planned to buy cars during the October storm but had to delay their purchases, Ford estimates.

People who need to replace storm-damaged vehicles are expected to drive sales for several more months. GM estimates that 50,000 to 100,000 vehicles will eventually need to be replaced.

Even so, carmakers warned that uncertainty over the “fiscal cliff” could undo some of the gains.

The term refers to sharp government spending cuts and tax increases scheduled to start Jan. 1 unless an agreement to cut the budget deficit is reached between Congress and the White House.

But for now, most Americans seem comfortable buying.