Sales of new cars last year in New Zealand were the lowest since 2003.
Every month from July onwards registered a decline compared to its equivalent month in 2007.
For the full year, new car sales were 74,000- a drop of more than 5% on the previous years.
New commercial vehicle registrations also fell - down 4% to almost 24,000 for the year.
Toyota dominated the market in 2008, with almost twice the market share of the next company, Ford.
The Motor Industry Association says it's clear the industry is affected by the global slowdown.
