Car registrations plunge

L.A. County saw a 28 percent drop in 2009 from a year earlier, according to the Southland Motor Car Dealers Association. OC registrations fell almost 33 percent. In round numbers, you're looking at almost 100,000 fewer registrations than in 2008 - and 2008 wasn't such a hot year, with L.A. County registrations falling almost 19 percent from 2007. As for January, registrations were down 4.3 percent in L.A. and 9.5 percent in OC. You get the picture: It's a lousy time to be a car dealer. (In case anybody's wondering, local Toyota registrations were up in January, but the story is sure to be different this month.) The carmakers come out with their February sales numbers next week.

L.A.-AREA VEHICLE REGISTRATIONS (2009)

Acura -37%
Audi -13%
BMW -31.6%
Buick -25.1%
Cadillac -51.3%
Chevrolet -34.1%
Chrysler -53.1%
Dodge -41.9%
Ford -22%
GMC -48.8%
Honda -23.4%
Hummer -71.8%
Hyundai +18%
Infiniti -49.9%
Jaguar -5.9%
Jeep -39.5%
Kia +3.2%
Land Rover -24.5%
Lexus -24%
Lincoln -40.5%
Mazda -22.6%
Mercedes -15.7%
Mercury -39.4%
MINI +2.3
Mitsubishi -37.4%
Nissan -35.6%
Pontiac -30%
Porsche -12.7%
Saab -62.4%
Saturn -57.4%
smart -41.6%
Subaru 31.8%
Suzuki -70.3%
Toyota/Scion -33.5%
Volkswagen -6.1%
Volvo -31.6%