They do not call California the land of fruits and huts for nothing
Big Three lose ground in biggest U.S. market
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> WASHINGTON -- Auto sales plunged 39 percent in California in the last
> three months of 2008, while Detroit's Big Three saw its market share fall
> to less than one-third of all sales in the nation's largest auto market. >
> New car and light truck registrations in California fell 23 percent to
> 1.45 million, down from 1.88 million in 2007, while U.S. auto sales were
> down just 18 percent last year, according to a report issued Thursday by
> the California New Car Dealers Association.
>
> Passenger cars accounted for 60.1 percent of sales in 2008 in California,
> up from 54.2 percent in 2007. For the entire country, passenger cars
> accounted for 53.2 percent of total sales.
>
> Detroit's Big Three saw its market share in the Golden State fall 4.7
> percent to 32.4 percent. The Big Three had market share of 47.5 percent
> nationwide in 2008.
>
> Big Three offerings were trounced in several categories. In the minivan
> segment, Chrysler LLC's Town & Country and Dodge Caravan accounted for 13
> percent of all minivans registered. By comparison, the Honda Odyssey and
> Toyota Sienna each had 37 percent shares.
>
> In midsize vehicles, the Chevrolet Malibu was 3.9 percent of sales and the
> Ford Fusion 3.8 percent. The Toyota Camry accounted for 36 percent of
> midsize sales and Honda Accord 27.6 percent, based on new car registration > data.
>
> In California, Chrysler brand sales fell 49 percent while its Dodge brand
> fell 35 percent and Jeep dropped 33 percent. Both Chrysler and Nissan
> Motor Co. each had a 7.5 percent market share in California.
>
> California wants to impose a 30 percent reduction in tailpipe emissions by
> 2016. President Barack Obama directed the Environmental Protection Agency
> on Monday to review the request for a waiver under the Clean Air Act by
> California and 13 other states to impose their own standards.
>
> California has said it believes those standards would reduce new car sales
> by 4.7 percent by 2020 because of the higher costs associated with
> complying with the emissions standards.
>
> California auto dealers lamented the nearly 450,000 vehicle sales drop
> this year -- more than many states sell in a year.
>
> "It's the largest single-year drop I've ever seen and the main reason that
> the communities we serve are starving for sales tax revenue," said Gary
> Shipman, chairman of the California dealers association, who also operates
> Toyota and Subaru dealerships in Santa Cruz.
>
>
> --
> Civis Romanus Sum