GREENVILLE, NC (WNCT)- Car sales across the country are on the rise, and dealers in our area are feeling the buzz.

In 2015 automakers sold over 17 million units, an increase of six percent from 2014. Dealerships right here in the East are experiencing the same thing.

“As soon as you walk downstairs from the morning sales meeting you had two or three customers in the show room ready to do business,” Easter Carolina car salesman Brian Rogers said.

The East Carolina Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep, and Lincoln in Greenville sold 165 cars during the month of December.

Rogers said, “The more cars you sell the more cars you get through service, the more salesmen you can hire.”

Rogers says a lot of things can cause this kind of uptick including low gas prices and the falling unemployment rates. He also says sales weren’t always this good.

Rogers said, “We had the recession back in 08-09 things pretty much came to a halt.”

Experts say the economy is finally recovering. They say we gradually climbed back up to about where we were before.

ECU Business Professor, Dr. James Kleckley says car sales can indicate how the economy is doing. He says when the economy is doing well, auto sales usually mirror it.

“It’s a sign that the economy is probably better than a lot of people say it is,” Dr. Kleckley said.

Kleckley says everything flow together, and as the economy continues to do well, so will auto sales.

The auto industry is expected to see continued growth throughout 2016. Forecasts predict 18 million units this year.