US auto makers are expected to report big declines in August domestic sales despite stepped-up incentives, according to research firm J.D. Power & Associates, though industrywide sales are expected to improve slightly from July's moribund rate.
The research firm still expects sales in the closing days of the month to improve because of General Motors Corp.'s 100th anniversary sales event, which offers "employee pricing" on most vehicles and cash rebates on selected light trucks. The J.D. Power report, based on sales through Aug. 17, estimates sales for the month will come in at around 1.21 million vehicles, or 13.4 million vehicles on a seasonally adjusted annual rate. That is down from the August 2007 seasonally adjusted rate of 16.2 million vehicles, but up 6.3% from July.
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