Dealers

Vehicle leasing is making a modest comeback after its go-go years of the 1990s. Leasing peaked in 1999 with a 25% penetration of total sales of 17.4 million cars and trucks. The low point was 2003 when 13% of 16.9 million vehicle deliveries were leases. The lease numbers are nudging up. About 2 million vehicles, or 14.2%, were leased in 2004. Leasing will increase to 16.5% in 2005 and hit 20% in a

bySteve Finlay, Contributing Editor