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Filed under: Car Buying , Plants/Manufacturing , Earnings/Financials There were about three million fewer cars sold in 2008 than 2007. Based on 2007's numbers , it would be the same as if Acura, Audi, BMW, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Lexus, MINI, Porsche, and Saab all closed their doors in 2008. In terms of pure automotive carnage, that's not the kind of damage you can just buff out. And the predictions for the future agree on two points: it's going to get worse, and it won't return to what it was for years to come. The only difference in the predictions of gloom is exactly how long things are going to stay depressed. Everyone agrees that the vertiginous sales drop in Q4 of 2008 is going to continue at least until the middle of 2009. Some, though, think that 2009 will " look a lot like 2008, but in reverse ," with a slight sales rebound possible in the latter half. That prediction depends on the size of the proposed economic stimulus package, and whether it actually...
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