NASHVILLE, Tenn. -

Dataium’s Automotive Shopper Intensity Index is showing leaves won’t be the only things likely to turn at dealers’ rooftops in September and October.

The index — an indicator of vehicle sales 30 to 45 days in advance — continued to show marginal gains for the third consecutive month.

Analysts determined these gains indicate sales volumes will make modest advances through this month and next.

They also noticed inventory search and lead volume were up significantly, with the sedan segment leading the way.

Drilling deeper into trends, Dataium discovered domestic brands as a group have continued to post solid numbers. Ford and Chrysler both outpaced the market.

In comparison, the firm noted imports have continued to demonstrate strength, with Toyota and Nissan leading the way.

Dataium went on to point out search interest in SUVs and trucks were both up by nearly 5 percent, while sedans led the way over all segments.

“We don’t expect to see large increases in consumer demand as we enter the holiday shopping season due to the current economic conditions,” stated Eric Brown, chief executive officer of Dataium.

“However with product levels for Japanese brands returning to normal levels and new models entering the marketplace, we should see moderate increases in customer interest,” Brown added.

Through proprietary data collection and analytics, Dataium aggregates and measures billions of auto shopper events from more than 20 million active shoppers across a network of diverse industry websites.

Dataium noted that it not only provides data and research on vehicle shopper/buyer behavior nationally, but also by specific makes, models, vehicle segments and specific markets.

To request complete access to Dataium’s ASI predictive modeling tool on future consumer demand by make, model, trim level, segment, region and market, contact the company at www.dataium.com/contact or call (877) 896-3282.