Beyond cheap fuel – US sales top expectations in July

US light vehicle sales came in ahead of expectations in July as a favourable finance environment and a slew of attractive new models continued to draw in buyers. Figures from Autodata show a 5.3% year-on-year growth in sales to 1.51 million vehicles, putting the seasonally-adjusted annualised rate (SAAR) for July of 17.55 million vehicles. July's growth compares with a more moderate June in which sales rose 4.5% to 1,484,000 for a SAAR of 17.16 million units.