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U.S. Auto sales were way down again in December.  Canadian sales were not down as much as expected by some experts!

Chrysler down 53%

Toyota down 37%

Honda down 35%

Ford down 32%

 GM and Nissan down 32%

“The first several months of 2009 will feel like the last few months of 2008″ predicts Ford economist Emily Kolinski Morris.

U.S auto sales of 13.5 million , is the lowest since 1992 and down from 16.2 million on 2007.  The 3 million unit plunge is the steepest since 1974.  U.S. automakers expect a continued decline in 2009.     ! bail…..bail….bail…..

Dismal Canadian auto sales in December contributed to a 1.1-per-cent decline in industry-wide performance for the year, figures released yesterday showed.

Compiling information from different automakers, a report from Richmond Hill, Ont.-based DesRosiers Automotive Consultants showed 2008 sales of light vehicles at 1.64 million units compared with 1.65 million in 2007.

For the year, car sales were up 3.9 per cent to 894,577 while purchases of trucks, vans and SUVs fell 6.4 per cent to 741,409.

For December, sales of 94,423 were down 21.2 per cent from the same time a year earlier, the data showed.

The numbers suggest that “Canada, too, is in an automotive recession.” In a note, DesRosiers called December 2008 one of the worst Decembers on record for auto sales in Canada.

While some automakers, including Mercedes, Audi and Subaru, were up in December, Canadian industry heavyweights like Honda/Acura dropped almost 41 per cent, while struggling automaker Chrysler plummeted nearly 36 per cent, DesRosiers wrote. ToyotaLexus, which announced record sales in 2008 - up 11.3 per cent over 2007 - saw auto sales drop more than 35 per cent in December.

For the first time ever, import brands outsold vehicles made by the Big Three U.S. automakers in Canada over the year, Desrosiers said.

Also, Toyota jumped past Chrysler and Ford to become the second-best selling automaker in Canada for 2008, with General Motors maintaining the top spot.