DETROIT (AP) -- Americans bought more cars and trucks in 2011, helping the U.S. auto industry continue its recovery from disaster two years ago.
Carmakers release their U.S. sales figures for December and the full year on Wednesday, and industry analysts and dealers are predicting a strong finish to 2011.
Sales of new cars and trucks for the year should total around 12.7 million, about 10 percent higher than 2010 and 22 percent better than 2009, when the economy tanked, GM and Chrysler nearly collapsed and U.S. auto sales hit their lowest level since 1982.
In 2011, people felt more secure in their jobs as unemployment eased, and they felt more confident about the economy as the year drew to a close, according to dealers and analysts. Pent-up demand, easier credit terms and the holiday season also boosted sales as people went to showrooms while they were off from work.
For December, automakers should sell more than 1.2 million cars and trucks, up 7.5 percent from the same month last year, according to the Edmunds.com automotive website. That's an annual sales rate of 13.4 million, the second-best month of the year after November's 13.6 million.
Also, customers were able to choose from more Honda and Toyota models toward the end of the year. That's because the companies finally restocked their dealers following the March earthquake and tsunami in Japan, which hurt production. But the better selection of cars likely didn't help the companies' sales. Edmunds predicts that Honda sales will fall 21 percent compared with a year earlier, while Toyota will be down more than 3 percent.
Chrysler Group LLC is expected to lead all automakers with a 37 percent sales increase in December, according to Edmunds. General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co. are expected to see increases of more than 5 percent, while Nissan sales are expected to rise 6.7 percent.
A price war broke out in the luxury car market last month as BMW raised incentives to boost sales. But Edmunds still expects Mercedes-Benz to beat BMW by 1,100 to keep the title of America's tops-selling luxury brand.
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