J. D. Power Estimates Show Sales Creeping Upward

The good news  for the auto industry -- or at least, the less terrible news -- keeps on coming: according to projections from J.D. Power & Associates, new vehicle sales for October 2009 are expected to ring in just 6% below the same period in 2008. That's the best year-over-year improvement for U.S. auto sales in 17 months (apart from the 13% increase of August 2009, which was an aberration due to Cash-for-Clunkers). Much of the lift seems to have come from pickup trucks, which now make up about 14% of the overall vehicle market. It's probably too early to start doing the Charleston on cafe tables just yet, but we're going to dust off our dancing shoes anyway. [MotorAuthority]