Passage Two Sales of new vehicles dropped in December to the lowest level since the early 1980s, as carmakers turned in a terrible fourth quarter despite aggressive use of incentives. Chrysler showed the worst decline of all, with sales tumbling 53%. Ford, however, still had the best-selling vehicle in the U.S., as its F-Series pickup truck claimed top honors for the 32nd year in a row, underscoring the enduring popularity of the American pickup even in hard times. The Toyota Camry was the second best-selling vehicle in the U.S., while the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck came in third, according to preliminary sales figures released by the manufacturers. But overall, passenger cars outsold trucks, sport-utility vehicles and minivans for the first time since 2000, according to George Pipas, sales analyst for Ford Motor Co., as consumers reacted to last year’s spike in gasoline prices. Truck sales made a modest comeback during the fourth quarter, in part because fuel prices had dropped and truck buyers had better access to credit than buyers of more fuel-efficient passenger vehicles, automakers say. The collapse of the new-car market in the second half of 2008 translates to pain all around. Every major carmaker, with the exception of Subaru, reported a sales decline in 2008, including luxury manufacturers Mercedes-Benz and BMW-once considered invulnerable (不会受到伤害的) to a recession. Even the new sales king, Toyota, saw its crown tarnished (暗淡). Despite heavy advertising, Toyota’s December sales slid 37.5%, and yearly sales were down 15.7%. Honda also reported a 34.7% decline in December but a modest 8.2% decrease for the year. A dark year is now over, but automakers don’t yet see the dawn. Jim Lentz, president of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., says he expects sales in the first quarter of 2009 to be similar to those in the fourth quarter of 2008-dreadful. While the outlook remains too uncertain for any consensus (共识) to emerge on full-year 2009 sales, carmakers are hoping to see some signs of life this spring. "We could see year-over-year comparisons improve starting in April 2009 because the market really collapsed in April 2008," says Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. What can be concluded from the passage
A．The car sales market is a little depressed. B．The car sales market is in the downturn. C．The economic crisis took place in 2008 all over the world. D．The economic crisis has greatly influenced carmakers.