A Matter of Perspective

January sales figures are starting to trickle in. Apparently that’s all they did last month — trickle.

Here’s the [harsh] reality:
• We may be in for a SAAR below 10 million units for the first time since 1982.
• We’re on track for our fourth straight month of a 30%-or-more decline.
• Of the vehicles sold last month, 27% were from the 2008 model year, compared with 12% in January 2008, according to Edmunds.com.

But is the glass half-full or half-empty? Check out this tidbit from an article in today’s Wall Street Journal:

“Automakers posted sharply lower U.S. sales for January, putting more pressure on struggling Detroit companies. GM’s light-vehicle sales dropped 49%, while Ford was down 40%. Toyota fared slightly better, with light-vehicle sales down 32%.”

Toyota posted a 32% decline in vehicle sales, and the Wall Street Journal calls it “slightly better.” Sure, quantitatively, a 32% drop is better than a 49% drop. But if sales volume has dropped by a third, should we try to put a positive spin on it?