GM said that it expects to have gained market share in December, as its share in the U.S. market jumped from 20 percent in November to around 24 percent for December. It expects to have about 22 percent of the market for 2008 by the time the final figures are tabulated. However, annual deliveries were down 23 percent when compared with 2007 sales. According to Automotive News, a trade publication, GM 2008 sales numbers, which totaled less than 3 million units, were at their lowest level since 1959.

'It's not a number I'm going to put into my scrapbook, but it's certainly better than the industry,' said Mark LaNeve, vice president of GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing. 'There were a lot of really ugly red numbers out there across the industry.'

Chrysler reported 2008 sales fell 30 percent compared with 2007.

The troubled company said sales increased slightly when compared to November but remain down.

'Last year, Chrisler and all of our stakeholders persevered through extraordinarily difficult economic conditions, made the adjustments and always kept our focus on serving our customers,' said Jim Press, president and vice chairman at Chrysler. 'As a result, our company and our dealer network start this year stronger and beter positioned to succeed in today's marketplace.'

Ford Motor Co. reported its 2008 sales fell 21 percent.

While the carmaker struggles in a vicious market, the company reported its redesigned F-150 pickup accounted for 8,600 vehicles sold in December, a jump of 84 percent compared with November. The F-Series finished the year with 515,513 total sales, down 25 percent compared with 2007.

While the market on the whole has shrunk during 2008, Ford noted it has gained market share for the last three months -- something the company hasn't done in more than a decade.

'This is a strong ending to end a very challenging year,' said Jim Farley, Ford's group vice president, marketing and communications, in a statement.

The compact Ford Focus was the only vehicle in Ford, Lincoln and Mercury's lineup to show a year-over-year increase in sales, jumping 13 percent for the year.

Honda Motor Co., while having a bad December, has weathered the market better than many carmakers. For the year, Honda reported sales falling 8.2 percent compared with 2007.

Toyota reported its 2008 sales fell 16 percent compared with 2007 sales figures. The Japanese automaker noted it sold more than 240,000 hybrids in the U.S. over the year.

'Our New Year's resolution is to shift the focus back to where it belongs, to the consumer,' said Toyota Motor Sales president Jim Lentz.