NASHVILLE, Tenn. -

Automotive retail sales were tepid in August, consistent with the sluggish U.S. economy, according to Dataium’s latest Automotive Shopper Intensity index.

Released late last week, the index illustrated that auto demand was up just 3.5 percent from July.

Maintaining their lead in ASI were Toyota and Hyundai, which ranked highest among all makes. Rounding out the top three in a surge from the sixth spot in July was Honda. Dataium reported lead submission on Honda dealer websites was up 14 percent from the previous month.

As in July, larger vehicles topped the ASI new-vehicle rankings for August. The Chevrolet Silverado was in the lead, and the Toyota Tundra gained three spots to rank fifth overall.

Despite these rankings, the truck segment’s overall performance in August showed softening, Dataium reported, and was down 15 percent from July.

An exception was the Tundra; aided by strong incentives, it showed an increase of 4 percent from July, and was the only model within the segment to mollify the downward trend.

In another big car segment, the ASI also illustrated increasing interest in the crossover SUV: The Honda CR-V, Infiniti JX35, Toyota Highlander and Kia Sorento all appeared in the top 10 of ASI for new vehicles. Dataium pointed out a six-spot jump by the JX35 to rank fourth, despite a recall alert during the month of August.

Dataium chief executive officer Eric Brown noted the interest in larger vehicles, saying, “Eighteen months ago, rising gas prices scared consumers away from the fuel-inefficient truck and SUV segments. Today, these same consumers appear to have no fear of gas hikes and push on toward the ‘big car’ of their dreams.”

Dataium’s national report is available for download at www.dataium.com/library. The firm offered the following chart to illustrate its findings in more detail: