Although there were still supply issues stemming from the Japanese disasters, auto dealers throughout the country enjoyed sales lifts in the latest reporting period examined by the Federal Reserve.

The most recent Beige Book, issued Wednesday, points to hikes in most of the Federal Districts that report car sales data.

To illustrate its findings in further detail, the Fed broke down each of its 12 regions, beginning with Boston.

Boston

In the First District, while the Fed did not provide any auto specific data, it shed a bit of light on the overall retail environment in the region: “Year-to-date through early August, contacted First District retailers report generally flat sales compared to a year earlier.

“Reports range from down 5 percent to up almost 4 percent. Consumers are conservative in the purchases they are making and, in particular, are avoiding big-ticket items,” officials added.

New York

Moving over to the Second District, one point of interest was that credit conditions are healthy on both the retail and wholesale sides of the market.

Sharing some results for the Buffalo and Rochester areas, used sales were robust in each region. Both areas also saw high used prices stemming from low supply and high demand.

On the new-vehicle side, the Fed said: "Auto dealers in upstate New York report that sales weakened in July and were mixed in early August. Rochester-area dealers note continued weakness in new-vehicle sales in recent weeks, which have been running somewhat below 2010 levels, reflecting continued Japan-related supply disruptions and a lack of incentives.”

That said, Buffalo area dealers improved on a rough July with healthy sales to kick off August.

Philadelphia

Although year-over-year sales were up in the Philadelphia region, there is uncertainty among dealers and many are still challenged by the Japanese disaster.

The production aftermath hindered sales in July, according to the Fed.  Based on early indications, it seems dealers showed improvement, though, from July to August.

“Early reports for August were a little better than July, and better than last year,” officials stated. “However, one dealer reported a customer backing out of a luxury car sale amidst the early August market volatility. Continued tight supply favors dealers with higher pricing and fewer promotions.”

Cleveland

Moving along, the Fourth District continued to see robust demand on the used-car side but the Fed noted that supply is slim and has pushed up prices.

The bulk of dealers reported stronger new-car sales in the early July to mid-August time frame compared to both the year-ago period and the prior six-week period. Some even saw double-digit year-over-year gains.

The region saw continued gains in fuel-efficient vehicle demand and smaller SUVs were steady.

“Inventories are still at low levels, especially for Japanese brands. Dealers are cautious in their outlook due to uncertainty about the economy and the availability of vehicles that consumers want to buy,” the Fed shared.

On the financing side, credit restrictions have reportedly loosened a bit. Leases remain on the upswing.

Officials added: “Many dealers are in the process of initiating factory-mandated programs for showroom upgrades and reimaging, and two contacts said that
they are expanding their current facilities. The number of dealers who are hiring sales and service personnel has picked up slightly since our last report.”

Richmond

In the Fifth District, the Fed did not release any auto-specific findings, but said that the retail market in general was down.

“Retail sales mostly weakened in late July through August,” the Fed said, also noting a variety of retailers said sales “declined in recent weeks as shoppers searched for bargains.”

Atlanta

Though not delving into the auto market, specifically, the Fed reported that in the Sixth District, “retail sales growth had slowed in July and August.”

It added: “Business noted a drop in sales and traffic compared with a year ago.”

Chicago

Continuing along, the Chicago region showed an increase in July before reaching a plateau last month. It appears that shoppers in the Seventh District put off purchasing until the Japanese car supply is stronger.

“A contact in the auto industry reported that many consumers were still waiting for Japanese products to become more readily available before making a purchase decision,” the Fed explained.

St. Louis

In the Eighth District, most (62 percent) dealers reported that sales were up and a little more than a fifth (21 percent) experienced a decline, according to the Fed. Static sales volumes were seen at 17 percent of stores.

Breaking the region down further, the Fed noted: “About 29 percent of the car dealers noted that used-car sales had increased relative to new-car sales, while 21 percent reported the opposite.

“Also, about 17 percent of contacts reported an increase in sales of low-end vehicles relative to high-end vehicles, while 4 percent reported the opposite,” it added.

Additionally, an overwhelming majority of dealers (roughly 83 percent) felt they did not have enough inventory and just 4 percent believed they had too much.

Looking forward, roughly two thirds of dealers here believe September and October will prove to be stronger than the year-ago periods.

Minneapolis

Next up was the Ninth District. In this region, contacts reported that luxury sales were robust.

In Minnesota, in particular, dealers were hitting profits and seeing year-over-year gains in sales, the Fed noted, citing a representative with a dealer association. However, things are nowhere near as strong as they were in 2006.

Officials added: “Two auto dealers in Montana reported recent gains in sales from a year ago, but a third dealer described sales as dismal.”

Kansas City

Dealers in the 10th District enjoyed surprisingly strong sales. The market was particularly robust within the economy class for both used and new units.

Dealers are projecting that the new model-year launch will help lift sales. In fact, certain outlets are bringing on additional sales and service staff.

Dallas

Moving over to the 11th District, this area once again saw a lift in sales. What’s more, this district believes that the Japanese supply problems will come to an end this month.

The Fed also shared some news from the used side, pointing out that demand and prices continue to be steep.

“Contacts were optimistic and expect sales to increase through year-end,” it added.

San Francisco

Lastly, the 12th District was challenged by the Japanese parts and supply shortage, but still managed to boost new-car sales.

On the used-car side, sales and prices have gone up.

“The demand for used vehicles continued to firm, with contacts noting rising sales and additional upward pressure on prices and trade-in values,” the Fed concluded.