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AUTOMOTIVE

Orange County auto sales jump in August Fueled by Cash for Clunkers, Kia, Hyundai report record-breaking monthly numbers. By Kristen SchottPublished: September 01, 2009 10:23 AM

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The Orange County auto industry experienced a large uptick in sales in August, due to the success of the government's Cash for Clunkers program. It's good news for the industry, which has been struggling under the weight of the economic downturn, as well as a lack of consumer confidence. Irvine-based Kia and Fountain Valley-based Hyundai reported all-time record monthly sales in August. Other local dealers that offered fuel-efficient vehicles in exchange for an exhausted clunker also reported month-over-month increases, though some still did see a decline compared to the same time last year. Here's a breakdown: Irvine-based Kia Motors America August sales: 40,198 July sales: 29,345 Increase: 37 percent Increase over August 2008: 60.4 percent Fountain Valley-based Hyundai Motor America August sales: 60,467 July sales: 45,553 Increase: 33 percent Increase over August 2008: 47 percent Irvine-based Mazda North American Operations August sales: 26,542 July sales: 19,032 Increase: 39.4 percent Increase over August 2008: 12.1 percent Cypress-based Mitsubishi Motors North America August sales: 6,813 July sales: 4,847 Increase: 41 percent Decrease over August 2008: 25.9 Brea-based American Suzuki Motor Corp. August sales: 5,749 July sales: 3,507 Increase: 64 percent Decrease over August 2008: 5 percent Related headlines Anaheim considers 5 Freeway project O.C. auto sales down in July Irvine's Mazda advances $20 million to dealers