Sales of new vehicles in August are expected to hit their highest monthly rate in more than four and a half years, according to a sales forecast released Friday by Westlake Village-based J.D. Power and Associates' Power Information Network.
That upward trend, experts say, is thanks in part to motorists like Junior Garcia.
For Garcia, the tough economy doesn't outweigh great deals on new cars, or the necessity to upgrade.
"Need a bigger car. Even if it's more expensive for gas, but you need a car for the family," Garcia said.
J.D. Power and Associates says August will be the fourth straight month to post a double-digit percent sales increase. They project that sales in the month will be $1,066,200 - that's 18 percent more than in August 2011.
"Now that you've got volume, you have a lot of cars, it seems like most of the dealers are more flexible. Banks are more flexible, and interest rates are at a historical low," said Richard Michaelson, Riverside Metro general manager.
Some SoCal residents commute nearly 100 miles round trip every day, Matheson said. That demand – especially coming out of the Inland Empire – allows people to justify spending a few hundred dollars more a month on a new car payment rather than spending that money to fill up a gas guzzler or maintain their old vehicle.
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