New York - US carmakers ended 2008 with further year-on-year declines in December and the lowest yearly sales figures in 15 years.

About 13 million vehicles were sold in 2008 in the United States, down from more than 16 million in 2007, with the steepest drops in sales coming in the last months of the year.

Analysts anticipate sales could be even worse in 2009, as sales figures for December fell by more than the year as a whole.

General Motors Corp, the largest US carmaker, saw sales fall by nearly 23 per cent for the year to just under 3 million vehicles. The firm said sales fell more than 31 per cent in December from the same period last year despite hefty incentives for car buyers.

Ford Motor Company said sales dropped 21 per cent to about 2 million cars for the year. For the month, sales slid 32 per cent year-on-year.

Chrysler LLC saw the sharpest monthly declines with sales falling 53 per cent from the same period last year, but that volume improved 5 per cent over November's figures. Its sales for the year fell 30 per cent to 2 million cars.

The White House last month agreed to a 13.4-billion-dollar loan to GM and Chrysler, which said they were in danger of bankruptcy as consumer credit dried up and car buyers snubbed American cars. The companies, which received their first funds under the programme last week, will have until March to prove they have developed coherent business plans.

International companies were not immune and also reported drops in their yearly sales. Industry leader Toyota saw yearly sales slide 16 per cent and December sales were down 37 per cent. Nissan sales dipped 11 per cent for the year and 30 per cent for the month, while Honda saw a 6.7-per-cent yearly decline and a 35-per-cent monthly drop.

German companies BMW and Daimler saw US sales fall 10 and 1.5 per cent respectively. Volkswagen sales were down 3.2 per cent for the year. (dpa)