Reuters/Mike Cassese
However, Wall Street analysts were looking for a 14% rise.
Analysts predict total vehicle sales in October were 15.45 million at a seasonally-adjusted annualized rate, up from 15.21 million SAAR in September.
Domestic vehicle sales are expected to come in at 11.90 million SAAR, up from 11.66 million in September.
"Our primary data sources - which include dealership surveys - suggest that auto SAAR grew slightly in October in spite of the government shutdown," say Morgan Stanley analysts Ajit Agrawal and Spencer Hill.
We will have October sales figures LIVE as auto makers report throughout the day. Click here to refresh for the latest updates »