Click above for our high-res gallery of the 2009 Ford Ka

J.D. Power and Associates, the influential industry tracking firm, warned that the global auto market may "outright collapse" due to the lack of available credit and the general global economic conditions in 2009. According to the company, credit market restructuring, fewer leasing options, and declining owner equity are adding additional stress to an already burdened market. Don't turn to the automotive markets in China, Europe, or India either -- they are expected to slow next year as well. Much of the domestic sales decline is attributed to consumers delaying vehicle purchases (their studies indicate people are keeping their vehicles four months longer in 2008, compared to 2007). Other contributing factors are the drop in leasing activity, and the loss of fleet sales (down to 2.8 million from 3.3 million last year).

Demonstrating that there is good news still to be found in some sales departments, BMW Group announced their worldwide January through June 2008 sales for BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands increased 4.7 percent compared to last year. The sales total of 764,874 automobiles marked the most successful half-year of sales in the history of BMW Group. All three brands contributed to the sales increase, in varying capacities. BMW sales grew 2.4 percent, thanks to the BMW 1 Series and 3 Series Cabrio, while MINI sales were boosted 17.9 percent as the MINI Clubman rolled into showrooms.

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Toyota Prius

Toyota announced today that worldwide cumulative sales of the Toyota Prius have passed the 1 million mark. While that milestone is impressive, more astounding is the fact that sales of the gasoline/electric hybrid continue to increase year-after-year -- even without a model change.

Sluggish market conditions in the United States are the reason Toyota Motor Corp. is slowing down the launch of its new Highlander crossover plant in Tupelo, Mississippi. Originally scheduled to open in late 2009 with production at 150,000 vehicles per year, Toyota will instead begin production in May 2010 with an expected reduced annual output of 120,000 units a year. Of course, that number will increase if U.S. market conditions improve.

Some automakers might be concerned over California's fight for an EPA waver, but Lamborghini isn't one of them. Regardless of government-imposed regulations, the Italian exotic car maker knows that the luxury market will continue to demand high-powered vehicles available in every color found in a Skittles bag.

A tight credit market, slumping construction, an economy on bed rest, an end-of-model year, and high gas prices mean one thing for pickup trucks: lots of brand new trucks waiting for buyers. Dealers trying to shift their 2008 Dodge Rams before the 2009s arrive are taking as much as $13,000 off the bill to try and convince buyers to come forth. That means you can get a Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab SLT 4x2 for $19,995, instead of $32,795.

It's been easy to forget about Nissan's small car offerings with the recent introduction of the redesigned Maxima in New York and the impending arrival of the GT-R for the first time on U.S. shores. But some of Nissan's more compact vehicles remain the bread and butter of the brand and fill the transportation needs of the masses. However, they're far from exciting and recent sales in the U.S. bear this out. To cope with these slow movers, Nissan is planning to idle its Aguascalientes, Mexico plant for a seven days this month so it can realign production with demand.

Kids in the U.S. want computers in their cars, but kids in Japan want computers instead of cars. Add that craziness to Japan's dwindling population and popular mass-transit options and you'll understand why the Japanese car market dropped to just 5.3 million vehicles, a 27-year low. Toyota, Japan's sales leader in America, is not immune to the sales downturn, accounting for 2.26 million of those new car sales.