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Major automakers’ sales drop more than 30 percent in December.
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Ford Motor Co. reported December sales were off more than 32 percent, year over year, a decline on par with drops at General Motors Corp., Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co.

Ford said in a news release that December individual vehicle sales fell 27 percent, and fleet sales were down 42 percent, across Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brands. For the full year, sales decreased 20 percent overall.

Nonetheless, the automaker saw its market share increase by 0.7 percent over the month, to an estimated 14.6 percent, driven by strong sales for its new F-150 pickup truck. Ford estimated its full-year market share at 15 percent.

Toyota, which bases its motor engineering and manufacturing operation in Erlanger, saw an even bigger drop in December. Toyota’s sales fell 37 percent during the month, according to MSNBC.com, and 16 percent for 2008.

Honda saw its December sales plummet by 35 percent, and registered an 8 percent decline for the year. Honda of America Manufacturing Inc., in Marysville, Ohio, runs five production and assembly plants in Ohio and recently opened an assembly plant in Indiana.

General Motors’ December sales were down 31.4 percent, according to MSNBC.com. G.M. and other automakers are expected to report full-year sales later Monday.

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