September 1, 2010—New-vehicle sales were down in August with less than 8.5 million cars sold, according to J.D. Power and Associates.

"With mixed economic signals and flat incentive levels, there hasn't been enough horsepower behind the recovery to motivate consumers to regain their confidence and purchase vehicles at a higher rate," said Jeff Schuster, executive director of global forecasting for J.D. Power and Associates. "In addition, it's likely that new-vehicle buyers are holding off on purchases in anticipation of Labor Day incentives, which may benefit September sales."

J.D. Power and Associates will continue to track new-car purchases starting Wednesday for the month of September. For more information, go to JDPower.com.