Hurricane Sandy Dents Auto Sales

Hurricane Sandy, which slammed the East Coast of the U.S. on Monday and Tuesday, curtailed vehicle sales in that region, carmakers say. Volume is typically heaviest at the end of a month.

LMC Automotive cut its forecast for the annual U.S. sales rate in October by 100,000 to 200,000 units to as low as 14.6 million vehicles, which would still be one of the strongest months this year. Automakers are scheduled to report sales results on Thursday.

General Motors Co. idled a transmission plant in Baltimore on Tuesday but does not expect the shutdown to significantly affect its vehicle assembly. There have been few other reports of disruptions to production at the factories of automakers or suppliers.

The states battered by the storm are home to 4,750 auto dealerships. Many auto dealerships on the East Coast have been closed for several days. Some lost power or suffered storm damage to facilities or inventory. Bad weather and blocked roads also kept many consumers at home.

Automotive News predicts luxury brands will take an especially hard hit because they derive one-quarter of their sales from the metropolitan areas most affected by Sandy.