The good news is: U.S. sales up for second consecutive month

U.S. light-vehicle sales in August come in 2.8% above like-1994 for the second straight month, thanks largely to a blip in fleet-car sales and the generosity of dealers trying to unload bulging '95 stocks. Total light-vehicle sales number more than 1.33 million during the month, 49,443 for each of the month's 27 selling days. August's 15.7 million seasonally adjusted annual rate is the highest this year and the best since March 1994's 15.8 million. The two-month sales climb belies claims by some that the market is on the verge of a steep dropoff and will likely fuel optimism that 1995's final quarter will be healthy. The increases of the last two months give the 1995 model year a good chance of besting '94-model-year sales. With one month left to go in the '95 model sales year, U.S. light-vehicle sales total 13,661,272, 0.3% above year ago's 13,617.589. The model-year-to-date SAAR stands at 14.86 million, same as a year ago.