Ford's U.S. Sales Drop 32% in December

DETROIT -- Ford's (F Quote) U.S. sales plummeted 32% in December and Toyota's (TM Quote) fell 37% as car and truck buyers continued to steer clear of showrooms due to the dismal economy.

Ford's sales for 2008 fell 21% from a year earlier, keeping the Dearborn automaker in third place in the U.S. auto sales race, falling behind Japan's Toyota for the second straight year.

Toyota's 2008 sales fell 16% to 2.22 million, compared with Ford's 1.98 million.

Other automakers are to report U.S. sales for December and the full year later Monday, and analysts expect an industrywide drop of up to 40% as consumers remain uncertain about the economy and their jobs. ...