Ford's sales report for September showed a 20.4 percent decline from one year ago, once again depriving the troubled automaker of any monthly gain in sales since October 2006.

For September auto sales in the United States dropped to 1,315,357 units, a drop of 2.9 percent over 2006. The decline was indicative of both the rocky housing market and an overall sense of uncertainty about the economy.

For the year to date, auto sales are down to 12,351,475 units, a decline of 2.8 percent over the same period in 2006.

Ford was not alone in posting declining sales with Toyota down 4.4 percent, and Volkwagen (which includes VW, Audi, and Bentley) dropping 4.5 percent.

Even strong market leaders like General Motors could cite only the slightest sales rise, just 0.3 percent for the month. GM was quick to say that it expected strong sales for the 2008 Cadillac CTS, and its crossovers, which include the Saturn Outlook, Buick Enclave, and GMC Acadia.

Honda enjoyed the benefits of the introduction of its Accord sedan, redesigned for the coming model year, and posted an impressive 9.4 percent increase in sales.

By the same token, Nissan racked up an increase of 6.7 percent and Hyundai trailed the pack with a tiny 0.1 percent gain.

Chrysler moved only 159,799 units for the month making for an overall drop in sales of 5.4 percent.

Although Ford representatives said that the company expected a decline for the month, the numbers are still not moving in a direction to indicate the company's strategic plan to catch up with its foreign competition has gained much traction.