DETROIT - Here's what you need to know about car/truck sales in the U.S.: All the majors were down 30 percent or more in December. All of them. General Motors? Down 31 percent. Toyota? Down 36.7 percent. Ford Motor Company (excluding Volvo)? Off 32 percent. American Honda? Off 34.7 percent. Nissan? Off 30 percent.

Then there's Chrysler, which recorded sales of 85,260 units, down 53 percent for December 2008, versus December 2007. (Most, including Chrysler, posted an increase when comparing December '08 with November '08, but year-end incentives and inventory clearance sales make December a stronger month, historically, versus November. I won't waste any more of your time comparing those two months.)

U.S. sales for all automakers looks to be about 13.2 million in '08, off 18.5 percent from '07's 16.2 million sold, resulting in the lowest annual volume since 1992. Ford chief analyst George Pipas notes that volume for the fourth quarter of last year was lowest since 1981, when there were 70-million fewer drivers on American roads.

One automaker actually posted an increase, Monday. Subaru's total annual sales of 187,699 was 0.3-percent higher than 2007. For December, it was off just 7.7 percent.

Hyundai sales fell 14 percent for the year, to 401,742. Kia fell 10.5 percent, to 273,397.

Now consider sales figures for all of 2008. Chrysler's drop for the year was as great as GM, Toyota, Ford, et. al's drop for December: 30 percent. While Chrysler doesn't like to talk market share, co-president Jim Press says such numbers are sustainable for a leaner company that doesn't necessarily compete in every segment, so long as the individual models are profitable. If you're a Chrysler's glass is half-full kind of enthusiast, you figure that its volume is settling to a level appropriate for a kind of niche automaker. If your glass of Mopar is half-empty, you wonder how much longer it can sustain such volume until it finds a new owner.

Chrysler sold just 71,663 Sebrings in 2008, off 23 percent, but edging out the aging 300 (62,352 units, off 48 percent). Town & Country was off 14 percent, to 118,563. Dodge Caravan was off 30 percent, to 123,749. Perhaps the minivan market is drying up.

 Jeep's Patriot was a rare bright spot, up 38 percent for the year, to 55,654. Commander sales fell 56 percent, to 27,694, still a couple of hundred units more than all of GM's Hummer line.

Chrysler remained the nation's fourth-largest automaker, outselling Honda/Acura by 24,357 units. And Ford's 2008 volume was lower than Chrysler's 2007 volume. The nation's top six automakers, by annual volume are:

1. GM:        2,980,688    off 23 percent
2. Toyota:    2,217,662    off 15.7 percent
3. Ford:    1,988,376    off 20.7 percent
4. Chrysler    1,453,122    off 30 percent
5. Honda    1,428,756    off  8.2 percent
6. Nissan      951,350    off 10.9 percent

These are corporations, not brands, so Toyota numbers include Scion and Lexus. Honda includes Acura, and Nissan includes Infiniti.

With gasoline once again cheaper than bottled water and dealers giving away '08 models in two-for-one deals, pickup trucks lead sales numbers. Read this and weep, Thomas Friedman: Ford sold 515,513 F-Series, still well off its records in the 800-900k level a few years ago. Chevrolet sold 500,068 pickups (GMC moved another 168,544 Sierras).

Chevy sold 188,045 Cobalts, while Toyota sold 137,249 Tundras. On the other hand, Toyota sold 158,884 Priuses while Hummer sold 27,485 H1s, H2s, H3s and H3Ts. And Chevy sold 13 SSRs found under dust on dealer lots somewhere.

GM's two other success stories were the Cadillac CTS, up 3.1-percent to 58,774 units, and the Buick Enclave, up 52.7-percent to 44,706. GMC Acadia (66,440, off 8.7 percent) remained GM's best-selling Lambda CUV. Forget the Outlook - Saturn division sales barely edged Cadillac, 188,004 to 161,159. No wonder GM is looking to redefine Saturn.

Chevy sold 9,456 Traverses since its fall release, while Ford moved 14,457 Flexes. The Chevy beats the Ford in monthly volume though, 4,935 to 2,685 for December.

And what about 2009? The Detroit Three are sticking with dismal volume expectations of 10.5- to 12-million units. They are, to use a favored Capitol Hill cliche, cautiously optimistic that the second half of '09 will see an upturn, fueled in part by the two-year, $775-billion economic stimulus package -- including $300 billion in business and personal tax cuts -- expected from the new president, Barack Obama.