Healthy and natural – missing another record could be best for US players

August was never expected to be a blockbuster month for the US light vehicle market this year, but the total has come in short of most forecasts. Autodata puts the seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) for the month at 16.91 million units. Edmunds.com had expected 17.2 million and Kelley Blue Book 17.3 million. The most cautious outlook, a joint forecast from LMC Automotive and J.D. Power for 16.8 million units, came closest to the final tally.