The economy may be puttering along in a low gear, but the auto industry is shifting up. Car dealers reported their best August in five years, selling 1.285 million cars. The strength was across the board, as U.S. automakers notched double-digit gains. Japanese manufacturers like Toyota and Honda, reported bigger increases as they recovered from the after-effects of the tsunami. That’s good news, since cars represent America’s largest manufacturing and retail sector.
