Furthermore use of this methodology to analyze automotive sales can provide a bellwether to changes in consumer confidence. The state totals will be analyzed, but this procedure can be used for any area in Maine.
Growth is measured by comparing the total for the year previous to the current year.
By comparing the current month's growth to the previous month's growth we can detect shifts in the growth patterns and gain a sense of the consumer confidence. The results of this analysis will reveal that automotive growth has been very good with no current signs of a downturn. All totals are in thousands. Sales totals remain well above November 1998. Growth dipped below 1998 totals for the first time in November with the growth differences showing a declining pattern since July.