Best-Sellers . . . So Far: Sales of new cars continue their downward trend, but there are still a few bright spots.

The first nine months of U.S. auto sales in 2008 ended with a whimper as the industry endured one of the worst months on record. In September automotive strongholds such as Toyota and Honda had sales decreases of 32 and 24 percent, respectively, as Americans seemed to make every effort to avoid new-car showrooms.
The news is not much better for the year overall. The big domestic companies — General Motors, Ford and Chrysler — are all down close to 20 percent compared to last year. Of the top 10 selling companies, Honda and Volkswagen have had the most success, down just 1.1 percent and 1.3 percent, respectively.
The story becomes clearer when examining the numbers for individual vehicle sales. The Ford F-Series remains the top-selling vehicle in America, but the figure of 392,698 units sold is almost 27 percent less than last year during the same time period.
The Chevrolet Silverado, which actually outsold the F-Series during the month of September, holds on to second position overall, with sales dropping 23 percent. The Dodge Ram — the only other truck in the top 10 best-sellers — saw sales drop almost 30 percent.
Sales of trucks in America are down 20 percent compared to 2007, and while this trend is unlikely to reverse entirely, the Dodge Ram and Ford F-Series are both all new this fall. The new product could provide a bump in sales, but it's unlikely to dramatically change the downward trend.
View Pictures: Top 10 Best-Sellers
So where is the good news? It's in passenger cars — specifically small, fuel-efficient models. Of the top 10 vehicles, the car with the highest increase in sales over the last nine months is the Ford Focus, up 24 percent over last year. The Honda Civic has also had success — it is the fifth-best-selling vehicle in America so far this year, and sales of this small car have increased by 12 percent.
The Toyota Camry continues to be the best-selling passenger car, with the Japanese automaker moving about 40,000 more units than the next passenger car on the list, the Honda Accord. These are followed by the Civic, Toyota Corolla, Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Impala.
The list of top 10 best-sellers includes no minivans or SUVs. The Honda Odyssey is the best-selling minivan, while the Honda CR-V is the best-selling SUV, in 12th place overall.
Here are the top 10 best-sellers in America over the first nine months of 2008, based on data published by Automotive News.

Vehicle
Total Sales
% Change vs. 2007
Ford F-Series
392,698
-26.9%
Chevrolet Silverado
370,502
-22.5%
Toyota Camry
355,562
-2.6%
Honda Accord
313,228
3.8%
Honda Civic
285,715
12.1%
Toyota Corolla/Matrix
279,685
-4.2%
Nissan Altima
223,776
2.6%
Chevrolet Impala
209,734
-16.0%
Dodge Ram
196,058
-29.2%
Ford Focus
165,382
24.3%