You could argue that Europe's car manufacturers are in good shape compared with America's, but that's not saying much, and 2009 looks dreadful for car sales here, with the possibility that some major players might be taken over or lesser mortals expire completely. Europe will have to face adversity without any major bailout from their governments, although France plans an inventive scheme to persuade owners of old clunkers to replace them with brand spanking new, fuel-efficient models.
Manufacturers have been gritting their teeth and hoping that the downturn would be over sooner rather than later, with normal service resuming in 2010. But that hope seems to be fading too.
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