Forecast: U.S. auto sales could rise 12% from 2011

4/20/2012

DETROIT -- U.S. auto sales could hit 14.3 million this year, up 12 percent from 2011 levels, industry consultants J.D. Power and LMC Automotive said Thursday.

J.D. Power and LMC also predicted that light-vehicle sales in April would be a little more than 1.1 million, up 11 percent from the same month a year earlier.

The new 2012 forecast is slightly higher than the consultants' earlier projection of 14.1 million.

Analysts cautioned that risks remain. Jeff Shuster, senior vice president of forecasting for LMC Automotive, said a recent shortage in resin, which is used in fuel and brake lines, could pose a "real and substantial risk" for future vehicle production.