US leaves 2015 with not just record volumes but also healthy financials

The US light vehicle market ended the year with a new 12-month record, despite a weaker than expected December result. Autodata figures put the full year total at 17.47 million units, topping the previous record of 17.4 that was set in 2000. December alone came in at about 1.64 million units with a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of 17.34 million units, below most forecasts. Edmunds.com was predicting a 17.8 million unit SAAR, while Kelley Blue Book put it at 18 million and a Reuters poll of economists expected 18.1 million.