U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales Nudge Past Year-Ago, But DSR Dips 3.4%

Still feeling the effects of “Cash for Clunkers” and struggling against economic factors that appear to be lined up against the automotive industry, U.S. car makers sold 835,925 light vehicles in October.

That’s just 1,300 more units than year-ago, when Wall Street’s financial crisis sent the already-reeling U.S. industry into a full-throttle tailspin.

As forecast by Ward’s, October sales resulted in a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 10.4 million vehicles, the highest ...