U.S. auto sales plummeted in October 2008 (Chrysler to be reported)

The Big Four – Toyota, General Motors, Ford, and Honda – experienced plunging car sales in the United States in October 2008. The once mighty General saw sales fall by 45% compared with October 2007; Toyota, the world’s largest automaker, saw sales fall by 23%; and Ford saw a decline of 32%, with its captive Volvo brand falling 52% and Ford/Lincoln/Mercury falling by 29%. Honda, thought immune thanks to its popular lineup of small cars and relatively small exposure to larger SUVs and pickups, saw sales fall by one quarter (25%) versus October 2007.

Other brands also feel, with Mercedes/Smart dropping 25%, Porsche falling 50%, and small-car maker Suzuki dropping 47%. Relatively unscathed were Subaru, dropping 14%, and Volkswagen, dropping a mere 6%. 

For October 2008, General Motors was still America’s favorite automaker in sales, with 168,719 vehicles moving off the lots. Toyota followed with 151,100 vehicles, and Ford took third place with 132,248 (including Volvo). A sharp gap then separated Honda from the other majors, with nearly 86,000 vehicles sold; and then there was a sharp drop to the “minors,” led by Volkswagen with around 23,000 sales. 

Chrysler sales have not yet been released.