US auto sales growth seen drawing to an end

Southfield, Michigan

WHILE it's still too close to call whether 2016 delivered another annual record for US auto sales, it's clear the era of rapid growth is over.

The industry has entered 2017 with analysts projecting the first significant decline in eight years - a drop of 200,000 vehicles, about the equivalent of one factory's production - to 17.3 million cars and light trucks. While top-earning consumers will continue to snap up luxury vehicles loaded with high-tech features, analysts say higher expenses are working against less well-heeled buyers.

"Car sales have experienced an unprecedented run that just couldn't last forever," sai…