Sales of new vehicles in the U.S. rose slightly in 2018, defying predictions and highlighting a strong economy.
Automakers reported an increase of 0.3 percent over a year ago to 17.27 million vehicles.
The increase came despite rising interest rates, a volatile stock market, and rising car and truck prices that pushed some buyers out of the new-vehicle market.
Industry analysts and automakers said strong economic fundamentals pushed up the sales and should keep them near historic highs in 2019.
