The figures are tumbling down for the major players in the car industry as the March sales reports come in. The drop in sales were reported by Ford at 42%, GM 44.7%, Chrysler LLC 39.3%, Nissan North America 37.7%, Honda in the US 36.3%, and Toyota USA by as much as 39%.

Experts have predicted a drop in annual sales which will mark a 27-year low. They are foreseeing sales to hit just below the 9 million mark. The uptick in demand may still be seen before the end of 2009.

Economists are seeing some signs of hope as the economic decline may be moderating but still it is a nothing is for sure game. Restructuring of the auto industry will still play a big factor in the next several months.

Ford has decided to lower its production for the first quarter by 26,000 units. Honda will be closing down 13 of its plants and cutting its production in North America by as much as 62000 vehicles.

Analysts pin point the low confidence of the market on the auto industry as everyone watches closely on the fate of General Motors and Chrysler which are kept afloat by a government loan amounting to $17.4 billion.

The federal government has recently declined additional loans of $21.6 billion to the car manufacturers. Hopes will be bleak for them unless they will be able to restructure properly by spring.

Consumer confidence has been on its lowest in the recent months since it has been rated in 1967.

Toyota remains the number one choice of buyers for three consecutive years. This was the result after asking 1700 U.S. adults last December.

The perception though was not reflected in the books of Toyota which had a drop in December sales of as much as 36.7%. The US light vehicle sector posted a lost of year over year 35.6%.

In terms of being environment friendly, Toyota still ranks No. 1 while Honda finished second. In terms of value, Honda outclassed the other brands.

The rest of the top 5 brands was a joust between giant car makers Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Cadillac. Mercedes-Benz landed on the top five for design while Cadillac placed among the best in technology. The two brands also made it to the best in quality topnotch.

Saab, Mazda, Hummer, and Suzuki received dismal appreciation from the consumers who responded to the survey.

Interpreting the survey, experts say that the top car manufacturers in the survey present an excellent first impression among consumers and the media.

Consumers’ first priority is the safety quality of the vehicles. In this category, Volvo won praises with 71% saying Volvo has the safest vehicles in the market today.

Following safety on the list are performance, quality, value, environmental friendliness, technology, and design.

Majority of the respondents though revealed that they are delaying their decisions of buying a new car. Reasons cited were good maintenance of their old car, prices of the new car releases, and worries about the current global crisis.

My opinion? Any survey that puts Cadillac up top technology-wise is a joke.