The floats, fanfare and music were amazing at the annual Puerto Rican Day Parade, but if you were there, you had to stop to admire the customized cars that cruised down Fifth Avenue on Sunday.

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‘Fast & Furious 6′
Director: Justin Lin
Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker
Rating: PG-13
3 (out of 5) Globes

Where some sequels (“The Hangover Part II”) repeat the original, and others (“The Hangover Part III”) try something new, the “Fast and Furious” films are that other kind of franchise beast: a constantly reinventing shape-shifter. It can’t even decide on a consistent title template. Don’t confuse “Fast & Furious,” the fourth entry, with “The Fast and the Furious,” the first. (Only the “Rambo” films are more confusing.) Over the six films, key actors have disappeared as their careers soared, only to return once their careers waned. The rest are expendable.

But the backbone is always the same. Supersized throwbacks to Roger Corman drive-in programmers from the ‘60s, they offer light melodrama meant to do no more than connect the sporadic absurdly OTT set pieces. The series apex called simply “Fast Five” featured cars somehow powerful enough to drag a bank vault across a bridge. “Fast & Furious 6” — only called “Furious 6” on-screen — isn’t as transcendently ridiculous. But it does have a tank.

If you must know, this one finds Vin Diesel and Paul Walker’s speed demons/world-class thieves working out a deal with fed Dwayne Johnson — there chiefly to make Diesel look like DJ Qualls — to clear their tarnished names. There’s a second group of speed demons/world-class thieves on the prowl, this one meaner than the Diesel-Walker crew. Their fearless leader (Luke Evans) spouts Nazi-like jargon about precision and not being afraid to cut off (or gorily gouge) a weak link. Evans’ crew also includes Diesel’s ex Michelle Rodriguez, presumed to have been murdered in No. 4. But she’s back anyway, and with amnesia, as if this series didn’t already play like a ‘roided-up adrenaline junkie soap opera.

There’s a couple lines about Diesel and Walker getting older and needing to settle down, though their contracts will say otherwise. Like “Fast Five,” this one’s more of an ensemble piece anyway, with plenty of comic relief from Ludacris and Tyrese Gibson, and a delightful knock-down, drag-out girlfight between Rodriguez and special guest star Gina Carano, whose MMA stylings (previously seen in “Haywire”) could still use more screentime.

Director Justin Lin has been the franchise-runner since the third, “Tokyo Drift.” Some sporadic overplotting suggests he’s ready to move on. (Which he is; “Fast & Furious 7” will be handled by the guy who made “Saw,” unaccountably.) But Lin frequently remembers to pummel us with awesome nonsense, none more awesomely nonsensical than a climax set on a runway evidently longer than some countries.

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Last week Joyce Linehan updated her Facebook status with keen sense of insight into herself, and an almost keener insight into how people view her.

My epitaph is shifting from ‘Courtney Love wrote Doll Parts in her apartment’ to ‘Convinced Elizabeth Warren to run for Senate.’ (The latter isn’t purely true.) I believe ALL of this will be overshadowed by ‘Spearheaded the campaign to Make Roadrunner Massachusetts’ Rock Song)

The former Sub Pop publicist and current head of Ashmont Media is certainly active in the community, and although she has a sense of humor about her latest endeavor, giving it the ALL CAPS treatment, she is quite serious about it. She has persuaded Mass. State Rep. Marty Walsh to file HD3506 to make “Roadrunner” — the song that Jonathan Richman first recorded in the early 1970s with the Modern Lovers — the official State Rock Song. The honor of official State Song currently belongs to a song called “All Hail to Massachusetts,” written by Arthur J. Marsh.

Yeah, we didn’t know that one either.

But Richman has reportedly said he doesn’t exactly love the idea of his song becoming the State Rock Song. He told the Globe in a statement that he  ”didn’t think the song is good enough to be a Massachusetts song of any kind.”

But judge for yourself, and listen to this playlist. The first song is the current State Song we mentioned earlier. (Yawn). And then comes the new candidate. After “Roadrunner” comes a slew of other tunes we thought would also be good candidates in the event that Richman himself has any veto power. We personally hope the songwriter doesn’t have that veto power, because what can be more Massachusetts than reveling in the glory of “128 when it’s dark out”?

If you agree with us, go on over and like Linehan’s Facebook page. And for the hell of it, give a listen to our Mass Appeal playlist below.

We should note that we don’t REALLY think the Corvus Stone instrumental, “Mustaches of Massachusetts” or the reggae version of the Bee Gees’ “Massachusetts” song should be the State Rock Song. State Reggae Song for the latter though? Maybe.

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The think tank, which researches metropolitan policy, found 700,000 metropolitan households lack access to cars or transit — with more than 100,000 in Atlanta, Dallas and Houston.

“These people are terribly constrained in earning a living, getting to the store or taking their kids to day care,” Brookings senior research analyst Adie Tomer said in a statement.

The majority of “zero-vehicle households” are in cities with advantage of transit. Recently, however, U.S. public transportation has been hit by a double whammy of increased ridership and reduced funding. The American Public Transit Association says that more than a third of transportation systems have hiked fares since January 2010. Nearly half have cut services.

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GM has garnered much of the attention for its inventory of Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra full-size trucks that stood at 122 days at the end of June. That’s about 50 percent higher than the 80 days typically preferred and above the industry’s still-hefty average of 99 days, according to Ward’s Auto.

Chrysler and Toyota also lag at 93 days’ supply, while Ford stood at 79, Ward’s said.

“Do we have high inventory levels for full-size trucks? Yes. Is it a major issue? It’s not at crisis level, but it’s above healthy levels,” said analyst Jesse Toprak with online car-buying research website TrueCar last week.

What makes analysts and industry officials most nervous is whether the U.S. economy will depress the usual surge in demand in the second-half. GM raises the most concern with the high number of trucks on its dealer lots.

Buckingham Research analyst Joseph Amaturo already believes GM will boost its deals, increasing incentive spending by September by about $700 per vehicle. That would match levels seen in January and February, when the No. 1 U.S. automaker was heavily criticized for being too generous.

Don Johnson, GM’s U.S. sales chief, said on Friday that a production stoppage for two weeks in July at the company’s pickup truck plants and an increase in second-half sales will help lower the inventory level. He also said GM will not get aggressive with incentives.

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Chrysler said it had made payments of $5.9 billion to the U.S. Treasury and $1.7 billion to the governments of Canada and Ontario to repay loans it received in June 2009.

The repayment puts Chrysler on firmer financial ground and draws it closer to Fiat, two goals investors and bankers have said would make Chrysler more attractive in an initial public offering that could come this year or next.

The automaker said it repaid the original loans in full, more than six years ahead of schedule. Under the original terms, Chrysler had until 2017 to repay the debt.

Obama cheers

LONDON – President Barack Obama called the Chrysler payment a “significant milestone” and a sign that the U.S. auto industry is recovering.

Obama was quick to hail the news that could be important in garnering support for his 2012 re-election campaign in the midwestern United States where the auto industry has struggled.

Obama has drawn fire from some conservatives for bailing out portions of the U.S. auto industry two years ago.

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The major Japanese automakers — Toyota Motor Corp., Honda Motor Co. Ltd and Nissan Motor Co. Ltd — are at risk for the biggest lost sales, according to the A.T. Kearney report, which was released on Tuesday.

U.S. automakers General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group LLC as well as South Korea’s Hyundai Motor Co. stand to capture most of the consumers who defect from the Japanese brands, said Dan Cheng, head of A.T. Kearney’s American automotive practice.

Of the estimated 1.66 million units of lost production globally because of the Japan crisis, 341,000 would have been sold in the United States this year. Of those lost U.S. sales, 42 percent were buyers who likely will remain loyal to their current brands, said Cheng.

Of the remaining 197,000, an estimated 80 percent were with Toyota, Honda and Nissan, A.T. Kearney said. Another 36,000 are with other Japanese manufacturers.

If full production at Japanese plants does not resume until the fourth quarter, the number of new vehicle sales up for grabs will rise to 328,000, or the equivalent of 2 1/2 points of market share, Cheng said. Of those, 263,000 would be with Toyota, Honda and Nissan.

A.T. Kearney also expects U.S. new-vehicle sales to grow almost 14 percent to 13.2 million this year from 11.6 million in 2010, and reach 16 million in 2013 as consumers replace an aging fleet of vehicles. After that, growth will rise more slowly, hitting 16.7 million in 2016.

In the decade before the 2008-2009 industry downturn, U.S. auto sales averaged nearly 17 million in new vehicle sales a year.

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The Karma sedan is actually a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, similar to the Chevy Volt manufactured by General Motors. It carries around a 20 kilowatt lithium-ion battery that will extend the range of the car and make it more fuel-efficient. It has an effective fuel efficiency of around 100 miles per gallon, according to the company, and can travel up to 300 miles before needing to refuel. The internal combustion engine kicks in after 50 miles of use on the electric motors — similar to the Volt, which can travel between 25 and 50 miles before the internal combustion engine kicks in.

But the price tag and the target audience means Fisker Automotive’s Karma sedan basically goes toe-to-toe with the Tesla Roadster, another extravagantly priced electric car designed for high-end buyers.

Like Tesla Motors, the company is also working on a cheaper electric car — a plug-in hybrid sedan called the Nina. That car should retail for somewhere between $35,000 and $50,000. The Nissan Leaf, one of the cheaper plug-in electric cars, retails for around $37,000, while Tesla Motors’ Model S electric sedan will retail for around $57,000 before government incentives for buying an electric car.

The company is backed by Kleiner Perkins, as well as New Enterprise Associates and A123 Systems Inc. Fisker Automotive raised $190 million just two months ago to help fund the production of its electric cars.  

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Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., power-train maker American Axle and Manufacturing Holding Inc. and Lear Corp., which makes seating and electrical power management systems, posted first-quarter earnings that easily exceeded Wall Street estimates on improving global demand.

“The recovery in the auto industry is gaining momentum,” said Tim Ghriskey, chief investment officer with Solaris Asset Management. “Clearly, the sales are doing well and the consumer is replacing older vehicles.”

Lear cited a 5 percent increase in global auto production in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. Demand grew around the world, offsetting a 32 percent production decline in Japan due to the earthquake and tsunami.

The earnings reports released Friday highlighted a strong week for the auto industry, underlined by Ford Motor Co.’s better-than-expected profit.

“Obviously, it’s all about volume,” Morningstar analyst David Whiston said. “With a lower fixed cost and a better top line, it’s not a surprise to see earnings doing so well.”

David Silver, analyst with Wall Street Strategies, cautioned against exuberant expectations, however.

“The profitability of the North American automakers is much improved from 2007 and 2008, but the Japan disaster is an overhang.”

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The Aventador LP 700-4, priced at $364,000 in Europe, has sold out the first 18 months of production; and China accounts for a fifth of buyers so far, company CEO Stephan Winkelmann said in an interview last week. Sales may grow further when deliveries start in the third quarter.

“I believe that China will become our most important market this year,” Winkelmann said. “Customer feedback on the Aventador is sheerly incredible here. There’s more to come when the car visibly arrives.”

Luxury carmakers, including BMW and Mercedes-Benz, are recording surging demand in the world’s largest car market, as growing wealth defies the government’s efforts to clamp down on conspicuous consumption. The U.S., traditionally the stronghold of luxury-auto demand, is suffering from the aftereffects of excessive spending during the real-estate boom.

“You’ve got a growing number of millionaires and billionaires that are prepared to show their wealth,” said Ian Fletcher, a London-based analyst with IHS Automotive. “It doesn’t help that the U.S. has become awash in $300,000 cars off the back of the bubble. Everyone who wanted a Lamborghini Gallardo has one by now, while in China it’s a new toy thing.”

Demand for luxury

Luxury car sales in China may rise 20 percent this year, while the overall passenger-vehicle market’s growth could slow to about 12 percent, according to industry researcher J.D. Power & Associates.

“The premium segment is probably going to grow faster than the overall volume sector” in China, BMW’s sales chief Ian Robertson said in Shanghai.

The prospects have prompted expansion plans by high-end carmakers.

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It broke cover in late January, along with the news that it would be the company’s first-ever all-wheel drive.

A couple months later, I’m tucked behind the wheel of the $300,000 FF, testing its V-12-powered moves deep in the Dolomite mountains of northern Italy. Talk about a happy turn of events.

The FF looks oversize in photos, but the shotgun wedding of four seats and aggressive sports styling is more organic in real life. The gaping black front grill is as fearsome as the mouth of a Great White. It seems ready to snack on lesser vehicles unfortunate enough to be caught in the asphalt current.

The front seats are deep, ideal for capturing your frame as G forces pound you into the leather.

Practicality aside, it’s still a Ferrari. The FF hits 62 mph in 3.7 seconds with a top speed of more than 200. In a single hard blast down a curving section of the Autostrada, my guts turned to jelly. It’s fast.

A short time ago, I didn’t even know this car existed. Now it’s all I can think about.

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In addition to gas-sipping cars, the improving U.S. job market helped most major automakers race past expectations for U.S. sales in March with the main exception being General Motors Co., which pulled back on its incentives.

“When I look at the overall picture, I say ‘Hey, this recovery’s intact. It’s still going strong in the U.S.,”’ said Gary Bradshaw, a portfolio manager with Hodges Capital Management, which owns Ford shares. “More people going back to work, they can afford cars.”

Executives at GM and Ford Motor Co., which reported sales gains of 11.4 percent and 19 percent, respectively, added that the Japan crisis was unlikely to bite into U.S. sales in the near-term.

GM shares rose 4.4 percent to end at $32.41 on the New York Stock Exchange Friday, while Ford stock was up 1.7 percent.

Analysts said GM’s gain was larger because its stock has been more volatile and investors were relieved by the good news about the sector despite the lower-than-expected sales gain.

The strong sales, combined with the Labor Department’s report on solid U.S. job growth last month, boosted hopes that consumers will have more money in their wallets and feel confident enough to buy more cars and trucks, investors said.

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Tesla claims the show, one of the broadcaster’s most successful programs, faked a scene that appeared to show Tesla’s Roadster car running out of energy, according to papers filed at the High Court in London yesterday.

In the “Top Gear” report, first broadcast in December 2008, presenter Jeremy Clarkson said that, even though the car is “biblically quick,” and “the first electric car you might actually want to buy,” its range is limited.

“Although Tesla say it will do 200 miles, we worked out that on our track it would run out after just 55 miles and if it does run out it’s not a quick job to charge it up again,” Clarkson said, according to a transcript of the show included in the filing.

The report showed the car being pushed into a hangar, according to the suit. Tesla said the Roadster that was pushed into the hangar hadn’t run out of power and didn’t need to be pushed.

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Which streets are the most dangerous for pedestrians and when? New Yorkers are most likely to be struck by a car on Atlantic Avenue or Broadway, according to statistics from the Tri-State Transportation Campaign.

Rush hour, between 3 and 6 p.m. is when the most pedestrians are stuck by cars, according to New York State Department of Motor Vehicle data released in September.

The number of pedestrians fatally struck by cars has increased in some boroughs in the past few years, even though deaths are down 21 percent citywide from 2001 levels.

Pedestrian deaths dropped slightly in 2010 compared to 2009 — 151 deaths to 156 the year before, according to the DOT.

But just Sunday, a pedestrian died after a minivan plowed into him in a hit-and-run on Fordham Road in the Bronx. And over half of all the pedestrian deaths statewide occur here.

“Speeding is the number one killer on the streets of New York,” said Noah Budnick, of advocacy group Transportation Alternatives.

Speeding tickets are going up in every borough but Manhattan — in Queens,  cops gave out 350,948 tickets in 2009, 10,000 more than the year before — according to the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s most recent statistics.

Last week, Astoria mom Erika Whitmore, 24, was pushing her 4-month-old to a dentist appointment, when a driver came within “an inch” of slamming them, she told Metro.

“I shook the entire rest of the day,” she recalled.

Follow Alison Bowen on Twitter at @AlisonatMetro.

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Gerardine Botte, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, said two compounds in urine — ammonia and urea — could be a source of hydrogen.

By placing a hydroelectrode in the urine and applying an electrical current hydrogen gas was produced sufficient to power a hydrogen cell.

Ammonia and urea hold their hydrogen atoms more loosely than water, Botte explained, so less electrical current is needed to produce hydrogen. 

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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said in a summary of the problem that a certain type of spider may weave a web that restricts a vent line.

This could cause the emissions control system to increase pressure inside the fuel tank, leading to cracks and potential fuel leaks and an increased risk of fire.

Mazda is recalling 52,000 vehicles, and dealers will install a spring to prevent this type of spider from entering the vent line, NHTSA said.

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The gain in industry-wide sales topped analyst expectations, according to initial sales data, putting the industry on track for its highest sales rate since August 2009 when the government’s “cash for clunkers” credits spurred a short-lived boom.

GM led the industry with a 46 percent sales gain, stoked by incentives that also led the industry at an estimated $3,700 per vehicle on average in February.

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The surprise action on Thursday extended a damaging string of recalls covering 19 million Toyota vehicles worldwide since 2009, mainly over complaints of unintended acceleration linked to defective floor mats and gas pedals.

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An $8,000 annual fee hands people like Quinn the keys to a fleet of 45 luxury cars and 40 days of driving. Some pay up to $100,000 per year for enhanced driving packages and “accessories” like round-the-clock club use for private parties.

The uptown location will join the club’s SoHo spot, which opened in 2005 and boasts its own bar and sound system.

West Village entrepreneur Brenna Haysom, 34, joined in 2008, wanting to escape upstate in a nice ride. “Having access to 45 great cars was more appealing than having just one car,” she said.

Favorites? The 1968 Porsche 911. “You have to drive that car,” said Quinn. “It doesn’t drive itself.” The Ford GT, on the other hand, “I like because you could kill yourself in that thing in about 10 seconds flat if you don’t know what you’re doing.” 

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The findings vindicated Toyota’s position that it had identified and fixed the only known safety problems with popular vehicles like the Camry by focusing on mechanical issues with accelerator pedals and the risk that floor mats could trap the pedal in the open position.

“There is no electronic-based cause for unintended high-speed acceleration in Toyotas,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement issued yesterday.

The inquiry, by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and NASA engineers, followed questions by some safety advocates and lawmakers about whether software-driven throttles and flaws with electronic control systems had also played a role in unintended acceleration complaints.

Although Toyota has cleared a major hurdle in its ongoing safety saga, analysts cautioned that it would still struggle to win back American consumers who have defected from the brand and its luxury counterpart, Lexus.

“This is certainly going to help Toyota, but it   doesn’t change the fact that they let these other issues through,” said TrueCar.com analyst Jesse Toprak. “They’re still going to face difficulties to bring people back to Toyota.”

Toyota has recalled nearly 16 million vehicles globally since September 2009, when it took the first in a series of measures to fix problems with sticky accelerator pedals and potentially dangerous floor mats. 

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The stronger U.S. auto sales results pointed to a recovery in American consumer demand and a return of easier lending terms by banks, auto executives and analysts said, despite the threat of higher oil prices ahead.

“If oil prices don’t trip us up, Detroit should have a pretty good year,” said Paul Ballew, Nationwide chief economist.

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One of your most popular cars this year is the 2012 Focus. What’s different about this edition?

It’s really brand new from the ground up. This is a global platform and product that was built for markets around the world. It has a brand new power train … We’re bringing in technology with MyFord Touch, building on technology features like SYNC. We have Active Park Assist. And unlike a lot of other smaller cars … Ford is bringing the features people are looking for in these products like heated, leather seats.

What led Ford to redesign the Explorer?

We had to reinvent the Explorer to [make] it more relevant to what consumers are looking for today, in terms of fuel efficiency and technology and features … We’ve gone to a unibody construction still delivering capacity, but due to weight reduction and design it’s leading to world-class fuel economy.

How do you get consumers to buy when many are still leery about the economy?

The trend we’re seeing is that consumers are starting to come back to market in some degree. We’re seeing improvements in credit availability, which is great. The industry has been on an [upward swing].

Why is the auto show important to Ford’s platform?

I’ve always been a big fan of auto shows. These are people that come to these shows and there’s over 20 million a year that go to auto shows and they actually pay to see your product. It’s a great opportunity to get people really interested in the vehicles. Some of them are considering buying. 

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Akerson, who became CEO in September, wants to sell more of the $41,000 Volts and is pushing to use its Voltec gasoline-electric drive system for models sold by other GM brands. Akerson has said he wants GM to have more fuel-efficient models ready for a possible increase in oil prices to $120 a barrel.

“We want to stay sharply focused on technology,” Akerson told analysts at Deutsche Bank’s Auto Industry Conference in Detroit on Jan. 11. “We don’t want to be caught flat-footed as we were in 2008.”

More is less for pricing

Higher output will allow GM to reduce the cost of the Volt’s drive and battery systems, helping it lower the car’s cost in future years, said Jim Hall, principal of 2953 Analytics Inc., an automotive consulting firm in Birmingham, Mich.

GM should be able to sell all of its Volt production as long as the government’s $7,500 tax incentive is in place, Hall said. The incentive expires after GM sells 200,000 Volts.

“The only way they will get cost down is with more production,” Hall said. “They are in a race to get costs down concurrent with selling 200,000 Volts.”

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The recalls are for various issues, the biggest of which is to fix potentially faulty fuel pumps and connecting pipes in 1.34 million vehicles, Toyota said.

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GM’s electric-gasoline Volt beat Nissan Motor’s all-electric Leaf and Hyundai Motor’s Sonata sedan, the Automotive Press Association announced today at the North American International Auto Show. Ford Motor’s Explorer sport utility vehicle was awarded truck of the year.

The wins by a plug-in car in GM’s Volt and an SUV touted for its efficiency in the Ford Explorer reflect the auto industry’s investment in the notion that fuel economy will increasingly affect consumers’ purchase decisions.

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Toyota retained the top spot by a slim margin over Ford in the Consumer Reports 2011 survey that was conducted last month. Honda Motor Co. placed third and Chevrolet fourth.

The Ford brand gained some ground in the latest survey and topped Toyota in the areas that consumers have said matter to them the most — safety, quality and value, the magazine said.

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The Camaro in 2010 outsold the Mustang 81,299 to 73,716. The two models have been battling for sports-car sales supremacy since the redesigned Camaro returned to the market in 2009 after a seven-year hiatus. Mustang had been the U.S. leader since 1986, according to Ward’s AutoInfoBank of Southfield, Michigan. The rivalry dates to the 1960s.

The muscle-car matchup broke out as President Barack Obama and automakers sought to shift U.S. car buyers to more fuel-efficient models. GM just introduced the Volt plug-in hybrid, Nissan Motor Co. has begun selling the Leaf electric car and Ford has new hybrid and electric models that are scheduled to be revealed at the Detroit auto show next week.

“This race represents the America that loves cars,” said Rebecca Lindland, an auto analyst with IHS Automotive in Lexington, Massachusetts. “These vehicles demonstrate that Americans still love well-designed, well-proportioned and well-performing cars.”

Camaro sales rose 32 percent in 2010, while Mustang sales rose 11 percent. Sales of both fell in December: Camaro by 26 percent, Mustang by 16 percent.

“Some of our competitors have been out of the market for some period of time,” Ken Czubay, Ford’s U.S. sales chief, said today on a conference call with analysts and reporters. “We’re very, very pleased with the fuel economy and technology gains [in the 2011-model Mustang].”

Ford was the best-selling auto brand in the U.S. in 2010, displacing Toyota Motor Corp.’s namesake brand, which fell to third behind GM’s Chevrolet brand. Ford sold 1,756,439 Ford-brand vehicles last year, while GM sold 1,565,632 Chevrolets and Toyota sold 1,488,588 Toyota-brand cars and trucks.

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An article in the February issue, headlined “Ford’s frustrating high-tech controls,” stated that the magazine didn’t recommend redesigned versions of the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX sport-utility vehicles equipped with touch-screen and iPod-style steering-wheel controls known as MyFord Touch and MyLincoln Touch.

Ford has said that its voice-activated “Sync” phone and stereo system is a critical factor in 32 percent of purchases of its models. The newest version, debuting in the Edge and MKX, has an 8-inch touch screen in the center of the dashboard and is aimed at enhancing Ford’s high-tech reputation. Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally will speak about it this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

“The real killer is the controls and displays,” David Champion, senior director of Consumer Reports auto test center, said in an interview. “The improvements they made to the vehicles in interior fit and finish and ride and handling were negated by the radio … and climate controls.”

Alan Hall, a spokesman for Ford — which is based in Dearborn, Mich. — did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Total sales, to be released today, probably ran at an annual rate of 12.3 million vehicles last month, the average of eight analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. November and October sales hit the same pace.

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