Sales were down 37 percent at Toyota, 35 percent at Honda and 32 percent at the Ford Motor Company. General Motors and Nissan reported 31 percent declines over December a year ago.

Chrysler, which along with General Motors received a $4 billion from the federal government at the end of December to help them remain solvent, said its December sale fell 53 percent from the period a year earlier.

For all of 2008, Ford’s sales fell 21 percent, a difference of more than 500,000 vehicles, while G.M.’s sales were down 23 percent, a drop of nearly 900,000. The totals were the lowest for those companies since 1961 and 1959, respectively, according to the trade publication Automotive News.

Toyota’s sales for all of 2008 were off 16 percent, while Honda’s were down 8 percent. It was the first times since 1995 that either Japanese company posted an annual sales decline.

G.M. cut its first-quarter production forecast by another 180,000 vehicles, to a level 53 percent lower than the same period of 2008.

Smaller carmakers fared slightly better. Volkswagen sales fell 14 percent last month and 3 percent for the year, and Mercedes said sales fell 24 percent in December and 11 percent for the year.

BMW, meanwhile, said its sales were down 36 percent last month and 10 percent for the year.

Over all, analysts say 2008 will end up as the worst year for selling cars and trucks since 1992. But that comparison does not capture how quickly business deteriorated in recent months, as credit markets tightened and consumer confidence sank.

To read this complete Fred Harteis News Article visit our news partner at;