Auto sales plunge again in December (CNNMoney.com) {worst since '92}

[eppur_se_muova]

Sales of cars, trucks and SUVs all plummeted, capping the worst year for industrywide auto sales since 1992.

By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: January 5, 2009: 4:28 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- The nation's six largest automakers all reported December sales declines of more than 30% Monday, capping the industry's worst year since 1992.

Of the major automakers, Chrysler LLC took the biggest hit in December. Sales fell 53% from year-ago levels, worse than the 46% drop forecast by sales tracker Edmunds.com.

By comparison, GM (GM, Fortune 500) reported a 31% sales plunge. That allowed it to post a modest gain in market share and was better than the 39% drop forecast.

The other automakers posted U.S. sales declines for the month roughly in line with forecasts. No. 2 Toyota Motor (TM) reported a 37% decline, Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) posted a 32% drop in sales, Honda Motor (HMC) a 35% fall and Nissan (NSANY) a 31% slide.

The combination of high gas prices in the first half of the year and the worst recession in decades almost led to the collapse of two of Detroit's Big Three automakers: it took an 11th hour $13.4 billion federal loan package to keep GM and Chrysler from running out of the money they needed to continue to operate.
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more: http://money.cnn.com/2009/01/05/news/companies/autosales/index.htm?postversion=2009010515

[Skink]

1. I don't need a new car.

I think cars are to reliable now to sustain past sales results. It has little to do with milage.

[AndyTiedye]

2. GM and Chrysler Have Already Tried Building Crappier Cars so We'd Need to Replace Them More Often

Only problem with that approach is that people replace them with cars built by someone else.

[Skink]

3. You know that is so right.

I've got an 03 Pontiac which someone backed into this year so I rented the comprable G6 for a week and it just wasn't as good.