SACRAMENTO, Calif. -

The only thing hotter than a California summer is vehicle sales at auction, according to one industry veteran, who says that means recovery within the auto industry.

In his post-sale report for this past Tuesday, John Brasher of Brasher’s Sacramento Auto Auction reported the market as high across all lanes during the recent auction, with dealers eager to stock their inventories.

“Big cars, small cars, mid-range, high end cars — all are very, very strong,” Brasher said, adding that industry data shows 2012 as the best year at auction since 2007.

While that’s good news in itself, Brasher believes there are also positive signals for the industry overall, coming from the new-car side.

“The real story these last six to eight weeks is new-car sales activity,” he said. “In Northern California, 2012 is outpacing every year up through 2008. That means the automotive industry is in recovery for the new-car side, and that means more used cars in the future.”

Brasher’s Sacramento Auto Auction features 16 lanes offering weekly dealer consignment sales, and monthly GSA sales. The company is among founding members of ServNet and AuctionPipeline.

To view Brasher’s post-sale video report, see www.brasherssacramento.com/.