The steep declines in December sales that were posted earlier today by Ford and GM aren't as bad as Chrysler's.

The automaker says its December U.S. sales fell by more than half. It also says it sold 30 percent fewer vehicles in 2008 than in the previous year.

Ford's sales in the U.S. fell by 32 percent in December. GM posted a 31 percent decline.

Toyota reports a slide of 37 percent, and Honda says its sales fell 35 percent. Nissan saw a 31 percent decline.

For all of 2008, Ford's sales fell 21 percent. That keeps the company in third place in the U.S. auto sales race. It's behind Toyota for the second straight year.

A Ford economist tells reporters that the first few months of 2009 are expected to look like the last three months of 2008.

The sales slump will mean some more good deals for consumers. A marketing research analyst says incentives like zero-percent financing and rebates will continue well into 2009.