Ford’s (F) December sales totaled 212,094, down 9 percent compared with a year ago.

Ford’s full-year 2007 sales totaled 2.57 million, down 12 percent compared with a year ago. More than two thirds of Ford’s sales decline reflected discontinued products.

Ford expects the economic environment to remain challenging in 2008. Ford has said it expects the first half U.S. auto sales rate to be in the range of 15.5 to 16.0 million in the first half.

"We are restructuring our business to be profitable at lower demand and changed mix and accelerating the development of new products people want to buy," a Ford spokesman said.

Douglas A. McIntyre