NEW YORK -- The good news for the auto industry in December came when General Motors and Chrysler got their federal bailout. The bad news is coming Monday, when automakers are expected to report another month of staggering sales declines, according to The Associated Press.

Many analysts are predicting the industry to report that U.S. sales in December dropped about 40 percent, bringing an official close to what has been one of the industry's most trying years and providing little hope for much improvement in 2009.