Sales at Orange County auto dealers rose again in September, jumping 23% from a year earlier to 11,812 vehicles, according to the Newport Beach-based Orange County Automobile Dealers Association.
The figure is based on new auto registrations with the state, a barometer of sales.
The percent increase is the largest of the year for the recovering industry.
For the year through September, auto dealer sales were up nearly 13% to 80,990 autos.
Many auto brands saw higher sales.
South Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia, which have their U.S. bases in Orange County, fared well.
Hyundai was up 121% to 691 autos. Kia was up 20% to 323 autos.
Luxury car sales improved for all but Lexus.
Mercedes-Benz was up 63% to 780 autos. BMW was up 33% to 603 autos. Lexus was off 15% to 507 autos.
Jaguar and Porsche boosted sales in September.
Jaguar was up 65% to 33 autos. Porsche was up 32% to 66 autos.
Decliners included Chevrolet, Chrysler and Nissan.
