GM, the world''s largest automaker, reported its U.S. December sales fell 10 % to 392,041 cars and trucks. GM''s December car sales fell 19 % to 131,687 as models such as the Chevrolet Impala fell 22 % and the Chevy Monte Carlo declined 36 %.

Light-truck sales declined 4.7 % as Chevrolet Suburban sport-utility vehicles fell 36 % and the Chevy Tahoe shed 12 %. Sales of large pickups such as the Chevy Silverado rose 1.7 %.

GM''s Chevrolet ended 2005 as the biggest-selling nameplate in the U.S., with a total of 2.67 million vehicles sold. It was the first time since 1986 that Chevrolet reached No. 1, beating out Ford''s namesake Ford division with 2.65 million. Chevrolet''s TrailBlazer also took over from Ford''s Explorer as the top- selling SUV. For the year, GM reported a 4 % decline to 4.52 million vehicles.

Ford, the second-biggest U.S. carmaker, announced that sales dropped 9 % to 267,881. Ford Motor ended what was also a very weak 2005 with December sales tumbling 9 %. That gave it a 5 % decline in full-year sales from 2004 to 3.2 million vehicles, even as car sales rose 2 %.

Ford''s sales of light truck models, which it had depended upon for profits, fell 8 % for the year and 10 % in December. The car models ended a good year with a nearly 6 % drop in December.
Ford''s luxury brands -- Lincoln, Jaguar, Volvo and Land Rover, all posted double-digit declines in sales for the year, as did most of its SUV models. Things weren''t as bad for pickups, but its F Series pickup truck, the nation''s best-selling vehicle once again, saw sales fall 4 % to 901,463.

DaimlerChrysler, No. 3 in the U.S., said Chrysler and Mercedes-Benz vehicle sales fell 2 % to 220,641. Chrysler gained market share for a second straight year, even as sales dropped 5 % to 189,449 in December, the company said in a statement. Mercedes- Benz sales in December increased 17 % to 31,192, bringing them to a record for the year.

Chrysler started offering a debit card with $2,400 toward gasoline purchases along with free maintenance for two years and extended warranties on most 2005 and 2006 models after October sales fell 3.1 %. Chrysler today extended the program until Jan. 9, when it will announce new incentives.

Asian Automakers

Asian automakers accounted for a record 36.5 % of U.S. auto sales last year. GM, Ford and Chrysler sold a combined 57 % of vehicles in the U.S. in 2005. Cars and light trucks in the U.S. sold at an annual rate of 17.2 million units last month, down from 17.9 million a year earlier.

Sales at GM and Ford are falling as buyers defect to Toyota, the world''s second-biggest automaker, and other Asian rivals. The declines are a reversal of gains in June and July, when U.S. carmakers offered employee discounts for all buyers. GM hasn''t had a sales increase since July, and Ford reported lower U.S. sales each month since August.

Toyota''s sales rose 8.2 % to 203,279.

Toyota''s U.S. sales for all of 2005 rose 10 % to 2.26 million vehicles, the biggest unit increase among all automakers.

Nissan Motor Co., Japan''s No. 2 carmaker, sold 91,253 cars and trucks last month, down 1.1 % from a year earlier.
For all of 2005, Tokyo-based Nissan sold 1.076 million vehicles to U.S. drivers, up 9.1 % from 2004 and the first time the company has exceeded 1 million units in a calendar year.

Honda Motor Co.''s U.S. December sales fell 3.3 % to 132,800 cars and trucks. Cars posted a 16 % decline, led by a 31 % drop in Accord sedans, while light-truck sales rose 14.1 % on an 18 % gain in Pilot SUV sales and the addition of its Ridgeline pickup.

Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea''s largest automaker, increased sales 16 % to 43,021 vehicles, led by a jump in its Sonata sedan, which sold a record 20,853, the company announced in statement. Sales for Seoul-based Hyundai rose 8.7 % in 2005 compared with 2004.

Gains to Come?

According to analysts, GM''s market share is most likely to fall to 25.2 % in 2006, and Ford''s will drop to 17.6 %. Toyota''s share will climb to 13.9 %, allowing it to surpass Chrysler as third-biggest in U.S. sales. The market share for domestic automakers will end 2005 at 58 %, down from 58.7 % in 2004, and may decline to 56 % in 2006.

While December was the biggest month since July, when GM, Ford and Chrysler offered employee prices to consumers, year-end incentives weren''t enough to push sales above year-ago levels.

Manufacturers'' incentives through Dec. 15 fell 8 % from a year earlier, while dealer incentives rose 13 %, according to analyst research.
Full-year U.S. auto sales rose 0.5 % to 16.99 million from 16.9 million. Following last year''s 1.4 % gain, it was the first back-to-back annual U.S. sales increase since 2000.

Auto sales are expressed on an annualized basis to reflect seasonal shifts in buying patterns. Last year''s monthly seasonally adjusted rates ranged from 14.7 million in October to 20.9 million in July. Automakers have sold an average of 17 million vehicles annually in the U.S. this decade.