August U.S. auto sales stronger than expected on trucks, SUVs

The U.S. auto industry powered ahead in August, topping sales estimates and shrugging off gyrating stock markets as consumers continued to show their penchant for pickup trucks and SUVs. The six largest automakers in the U.S. market all beat the sales forecasts of industry analysts, with Toyota, Honda, Nissan and GM reporting declines that were not as severe as expected.