DETROIT (AP) — It may be the dog days of August, but auto sales aren't slowing.

Industry analysts and dealers said this week that sales during the first half of August matched July's pace and could go even higher.

In July, new cars and trucks sold at an annual rate of 14.1 million. While that's a slight letdown from the pace of 14.3 million in the first half of the year, it's a big improvement over last year's 12.8 million.