With October’s SAAR reaching beyond the 13 million mark, it looks like auto sales might remain strong this month as well — or may even climb above last month’s peaks as inventory levels rise, according to NADA chief economist Paul Taylor.

He goes on to predict that some factors could potentially push consumers out of the used-car market and into new.

In a recent interview on AutoFocus with David Hyatt — a NADA production — Taylor explained that both available inventory of popular-selling models and an aging fleet of cars and trucks on the road today are two key factors why new-vehicle sales will continue to improve in this month.

“We’re expecting auto sales to increase as the inventory available to sell increases,” said Taylor.

“Auto sales improved in October, but will be even better in November,” he added.

Further explaining his prediction, Taylor noted that with the average age of cars and trucks nearing 11 years old, consumers are becoming more concerned about major breakdowns and need to replace their older vehicles.

And in some potentially not so good news for used-car dealers, as used prices are expected to rise in the coming months; this may push more buyers into the new-car market, Taylor pointed out.

“Trade-ins are worth more, and that attracts consumers to the new-car market as well,” he said, wrapping up the list of factors that may contribute to rising new-car sales.

To view the interview, click here.