The March 2009 Auto Sales Figures are out and although today is April 1, the numbers are no April Fool’s Day joke. The trend of double-digit decline has continued but there are some beacons of hope sprinkled in with the bad news.

Domestic Automakers:

General Motors’ sales were 44.7% lower in March 2009 than in March 2008. This is better than the 53.1% decline the company saw in February 2009. GM’s sales are down 48.8% year-to-date.

Chrysler’s sales were down 39.3% in March 2009. Although this is a huge decline, it is better than what was posted in February 2009 and Chrysler sold more than 100,000 units for the first time since September 2008.

Ford Motor Company posted a 42.1% decline in sales in March 2009, an improvement over the 49.5% decline in February. In Ford’s press release, they announced that they have increased their retail share for the second quarter in a row. Ford is doing the best, financially, of the Detroit 3 and has not accepted any federal bailout funds.

Imports:

The three largest Japanese automakers all experienced similar declines in sales when compared to February 2009. Toyota’s sales were down by 39%, American Honda saw a 36.3% change, and Nissan’s sales dropped 37.7%.

The numbers aren’t surprising and I think perhaps a little better than I expected. Check back tomorrow for an update on the March 2009 hybrid sales figures.

Note: The figures used in this report were taken from the Automotive News table but additional information was obtained directly from the individual auto manufacturers’ press releases.

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