Pessimism over last month's sales figures for cars and light trucks in the US was justified, figures revealed yesterday.

Near-record sales in August and September weakened demand once Autumn hit, especially as new 2004 models carried fewer customer incentives to encourage purchase.

Deals averaging $3,000 per vehicle were offered in August, but these were rescinded quickly as the new models arrived in dealerships, leading to a sharp fall-off in sales.

A similar pattern was discerned last October, and blamed for disappointing shipment figures, although the effects may be slightly more pronounced this year, despite what Automotive News describes as a third quarter 'economic surge'.

So far this year, 13,981,000 vehicles have been sold in the country, representing a 1.5 per cent decline from the 14,197,000 shipments recorded at the end of October 2002.

While not disastrous, the figures are likely to qualify predictions of an immediate recovery in the world's largest automotive market.