US auto performance plunges again in Jan

Chrysler LLC and General Motors Corp, operating with $24.9 billion in US support, may have led US auto sales to a fourth month of 30 percent decreases and a pace not seen since the recession of the early 1980s.

Sales fell 49 percent at Chrysler in January from a year earlier, 39 percent at GM, and 33 percent at Ford Motor Co, based on the average estimates of eight analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Toyota Motor Corp may report a 30 percent drop, Honda Motor Co could slip 26 percent, and Nissan Motor Corp may fall 33 percent, according to four analysts.