October sales missed most estimates because of the effects from the storm, says Alec Gutierrez, the senior market analyst of automotive insights for Kelley Blue Book.

FORBES: Analysts: Storm Will Hurt Car Sales

Alec Gutierrez, a senior market analyst at Kelley Blue Book, expects US auto sales for this year to be around 15.3 million vehicles, a rise of 5.5% on last year.

BBC: US carmakers drive monthly sales to six-year highs

"The fact that Ford and GM are even considering working together on a set of new transmissions intended to improve fuel-economy for both cars and pickups shows that auto makers are willing to consider just about anything to continue to improve fuel-efficiency across their lineup, " said Alec Gutierrez, a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book.

WSJ: GM, Ford Team Up to Develop New Transmissions