North American car battery sales rise, underscore lead demand

NEW YORK, Sept 9 (Reuters) - American shipments of new and replacement automotive batteries rose in July from a year earlier, U.S. industry data showed, reinforcing rising optimism about the continued recovery in car and truck sales. Rising demand in the region has helped fuel a rise in physical prices of lead, the main ingredient in lead acid auto batteries, to record highs. Total shipments of original equipment and replacement automotive batteries rose 2.2 percent to 10.05 million