Take the AutoFinanceNews.net 2011 Car-Sales Crystal Ball Challenge

New-vehicle sales were back on a positive trajectory last year, after five years of decline. Granted, despite the 10.5% growth, vehicle volume was still lower than it’s been in nearly 20 years.

Sure, new-car sales shot up 31% from November to December 2010, and grew more than twice that amount — 64% — from January to yearend. Still, the SAAR came in at 11.5 million, a far cry from the 16-to-17 million averages of the early 2000s.

So where are we headed in 2011? Venture a guess in AutoFinanceNews.net’s Second Annual Car-Sales Crystal Ball Challenge. Be as specific as you’d like, and we’ll crown the winner come January 2012.

Congrats to Chad Brown, who won the 2010 Car-Sales Crystal Ball Challenge.

My prediction for 2011: 12,602,084.