Nov 28, 2014 04:20 PM EST
Black Friday Means Blue Skies for Auto Dealerships As Sales Rise

Black Friday car sales seem to be another sign pointing to the auto industry's recovery as dealerships expect to report stellar business this weekend.

The post-Thanksgiving shopping rush used to be a dead day for dealerships, but it has grown into one of the busiest times of the year, NBC News reported.

Automakers from Jeep to GMC to Ford have been rolling out Black Friday promotions to entice customers.

Ford has a "Dream Big" Black Friday promotion that includes an offer for an Amazon.com gift card worth up to $1,000, while GMC is tempting buyers with a $9,655 cash-back incentive for certain Sierra pickup models.

Chevrolet customers can get 0 percent financing and $1,000 cash back on select models; Buick is offering 20 percent off on 2014 and 2015 LaCrosse models, among other promotions; and BMW is going big with Black Friday financing deals, according to USA TODAY.

"Last year, the sales on Black Friday were so much better than anyone was expecting, it's made almost every automaker realize they need to be in the game this year," Edmunds.com analyst Jessica Caldwell told NBC News.

Experts predict that sales after Thanksgiving will bring the November car sales rate to nearly 17 million, comfortably above the annual sales rate of 16.5 million.

New-vehicle sales are forecast to rise 2.2 percent for a total of 1.27 million sales this month, according to Kelley Blue Book.

"Black Friday vehicle deals should have a large impact on sales and make the final weekend of the month a busy one for car buying," Alec Gutierrez, KBB senior analyst, said in a statement.  "Shoppers continue to return to the dealership as economic conditions remain favorable, with the unemployment rate at its lowest in six years and with consumer confidence nearing pre-recession levels." 

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