Baring a miracle, Honda will pass Chrysler to become the fourth largest automaker by sales in the United States for 2009. Due mostly to Chrysler's dramatic month over month sales decreases, Honda has managed to pull ahead of the American automaker with a healthy lead of roughly 200,000 units. As as no automaker managed to sell more than 200,000 vehicles in the month of November, the likelihood of Chrysler making up the difference during the last month of the year is essentially impossible.
Once in the top three, Chrysler has been slowly pushed out of the top ranks as Toyota surged ahead to take the top place, now followed by General Motors and an increasingly strong Ford Motor Company.
Honda also looks to grow its share of the market with new vehicles like the Accord Crosstour (pictured above) and the upcoming CR-Z.
Fifth place might not be the bottom for Chrysler either as it was the only major automaker to suffer a sales decline in the month of November – a rather serious decline too, at 18.5 percent. If Chrysler's slide continues, Nissan is close to catching up, with the Japanese automaker selling just under 50,000 units in November as compared to Chrysler's 65,000 units.
Kathy Graham, a representative for Chrysler, told Automotive News that the company is, "taking the steps that are necessary to have a good foundation and to build consumer confidence," commenting that along with increased advertising spending in the coming months it intends to reverse the downward trend.
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Report: Honda to Supplant Chrysler as Fourth Largest Automaker in the U.S. on AutoGuide.com
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