Registrations of new cars and light trucks declined by 18.3 percent from the same period a year earlier, according to the California Auto Outlook Second Quarter 2008 Market Report. “Since 2005, sales of passenger cars have gone from just under 50 percent of consumer purchases to almost 60 percent,” said Denny FitzPatrick, chairman of the California New Car Dealers Association. “Conversely, sales of SUVs, trucks and vans have fallen nearly 10 percent since 2005.” The association cites debt, rising fuel prices and shifting consumer demand for the decline.
