US auto sales poised for record 6th straight year of growth

Detroit

THE US auto industry, which has been growing since the government bailout of GM and Chrysler, is poised for an unprecedented sixth straight annual sales increase next year, driven by job gains, readily available credit and lower prices at the pump.

Deliveries of new cars and light trucks in 2015 will probably total 16.7 million, according to the average estimate of 12 analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News, the most in a decade. The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) on Monday weighed in with an even more bullish forecast, predicting more than 16.9 million light-vehicle sales.