SANTA MONICA, Calif. — When it comes to new-vehicle sales, subprime borrowers made up a smaller percentage of these sales in November than the rest of the year, according to Edmunds.com.

The percentage of new cars financed at a subprime rate, which the site defines as loans at or above 10 percent APR, dropped to 5.6 percent of all new-car loans in November, Edmunds.com reported.

However, for the rest of the year, new cars financed at subprime rates accounted for 6.8 percent of all new-vehicle sales, Edmunds.com indicated.

Officials did, however, point out that that even the higher percentage of loans at subprime rates is still down from the traditional level. From November 2005 to November 2007, subprime rates accounted for an average of 18.5 percent of new-vehicle loans financed.

So why the change in November 2010 compared to the rest of the year? Well, apparently more folks with stronger credit profiles are being lured into the market by good deals.

"The percentage of shoppers who used zero-percent financing had been steadily dropping since July, but in November the rate climbed nearly 2 percentage points to 10.5 percent of all new cars financed," said Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds.com senior analyst.

"The deals are bringing better qualified shoppers out of the woodwork, and those people are now making up a bigger proportion of buyers," she added.

Edmunds.com senior consumer advice editor Phil Reed suggested to credit-challenged consumers that just because fewer loans are being booked at a subprime rates, that these buyers shouldn't be scared away.

"Automakers are anxious to boost sales and will try to work with consumers in many financial situations," he explained. "Consumers can make themselves more desirable to a lender by saving up money for a larger down payment and by boosting their credit scores by paying down their credit card balances."