Pace of US vehicle sales picks up in August

New York

US AUTO sales rose at a solid pace in August, boosted by continued robust demand for sport utility vehicles and pickups amid low gasoline prices and an improving jobs market.

Lightweight vehicle sales totalled 1.58 million, increasing from July but down 0.5 per cent from a year ago, in part because the last month had one less selling day than August 2014, according to Autodata. Seasonally adjusted, though, Autodata's estimated annual rate of sales surged to 17.8 million vehicles, topping analysts' estimates of 17.5 million.