• by Karl Greenberg , November 3, 2008

Poet John Donne might have commented on October auto sales, were he alive and had a taste for the prosaic. For the tolling of the bell shows no sign of respite: Ford, GM, Toyota, Chrysler, and Honda all saw sales decline strongly in October. Total industry sales were around 860,000 in October--about 32% off the month last year, in which the industry sold around 1.2 million units.

"It seems to me the one thing we are pleased about is that October is over," said Jim Press, vice chairman and president at Chrysler LLC, during a press conference Monday. "October may have been a month that showed how low the industry can go. A lot of events made it very difficult for consumers to make a decision to buy a vehicle: the stock market, the election, the economy, the industry and the credit situation."

Sales at crosstown rival and on-again, off-again suitor General Motors plummeted 45% last month versus the month last year. The company, which used incentives to push sales in September, saw the floor drop out when deals ended and competitors like Toyota ramped up their own programs. The company posted deliveries of 170,585 vehicles--97,119 of them trucks, and 73,466 cars--down 51% and 34% respectively versus October 2007.

General Motors is launching a "Red Tag Event" today, offering special pricing and customer cash back on a range of vehicles in an attempt to build steam. The company also has a "Financing That Fits" program.

Chrysler LLC today reported total October 2008 U.S. sales of 94,530 units--down 35% from the same month last year. "It was a month to remember and forget," said Steve Landry, Chrysler EVP North American Sales, who said the company will continue an incentive program that it started in September. Landry said, on the other hand, that the company is selling "all of the Dodge Chargers it can make."

The deal for November offers a range of incentives--including $6,000 cash and 0% for 72 months on '08 vehicles and 1.9% interest for 72 months on some 2009 models. "The good news is that the price of fuel has come down, the Dow was up 1,000 points last week, and the election will be over tomorrow," he said.

Ford, Lincoln and Mercury sales totaled 129,121 in October--a 29% decline versus the month last year, but better than September's 116,124 Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo vehicles delivered.

Toyota Motor Sales sold 152,101 vehicles last month--a decrease of 25.9% versus the month last year, but better than September's 144,260 deliveries. Toyota division slipped 24.2%, with Toyota cars off 14.2%, and trucks down 36.5% versus the month last year. Rival Honda American Motor posted October sales of 85,864, a 28% decline. And the Korean marques fared no better, with Hyundai down 31% for the month.

When the dust has settled, it is entirely possible that Audi may be the only automaker with sales above zero. The Herndon, Va. company said it sold 7,443 vehicles in October, a 0.3% uptick. The company attributed gains to sales of the A5, A8, R8 and the new A4. Audi posted year-to-date sales of 73,260--a mere 3.5% decline. Among luxury competitors, Mercedes-Benz USA sold 14,996 vehicles last month--for a 34.3% decline; Lexus posted a 37.6% decline last month.