TOP FIVE SELLERSNew vehicles titled in Hamilton County by make in 2011:1. Ford - 2,2862. Nissan - 1,4263. Honda - 1,3574. Toyota - 9865. Chevrolet - 754
Helen Boltman, of Chattanooga, said Tuesday she's not in the market for a new car this year, but only because she ventured out and bought one in 2011.
"It was time for a change," she said.
New vehicles titled in Hamilton County jumped more than 15 percent last year -- the industry's best showing locally since the recession hit in 2008.
Local dealers finished 2011 with a flourish as December new car and truck registrations raced ahead 24 percent versus the same month in 2010, according to the county clerk's office.
Auto dealers said they've got momentum for 2012 to exceed last year's mark.
"I can't tell you how excited we are about how we finished," said Ron Sharp, general manager of Kelly Subaru Mitsubishi.
Sharp said the Riverfront Parkway dealership had a record year in 2011.
"We were way up," he said, citing vehicle models and the lot's location near Signal, Lookout and Elder mountains.
Ryan Jackson, Walter Jackson Chevrolet's general manager, said the dealership's full-year sales were good despite 2011's tornadoes.
"The economy is coming back," he said.
Jackson said interest rates are low and he's hopeful about prospects for 2012 for the Ringgold, Ga., dealership.
However, many people are expected to remain on the sidelines because of the slow-growing economy or their personal finances as the jobless rate remains historically high.
Chattanoogan Renee Foster said she won't be in the market for a new vehicle this year. "I can't afford one," she said.
Chris Manka, also of Chattanooga, said he's not looking as he pays for college.
"I'm saving my money for school," he said.
Nationally, automakers will report 2011 auto sales today and are expected to show a second straight year of growth, according to The Associated Press. It cited easier credit, low interest rates and pent-up demand for cars and trucks created by the Great Recession.
While Hamilton County registrations are sharply higher in 2011, the figures are still way off the peaks of six or seven years ago.
For example, last year's sales of 10,948 lag 2004, when 17,685 vehicles were titled in the county.
Still, Sharp said Kelly's Japanese brands last year had to deal with the aftermath of the powerful earthquakes and tsunami which devastated parts of the island nation and caused manufacturing and distribution problems.
"It's onward and upward," he said about this year's sales projections.