Weak numbers for November signal trouble across the boards for the Detroit automotive industry as 2007 looks to close on a weak note for American car makers.

Although Toyota sales surpassed Chevrolet for the month (as they did in May, June, and July), Chevrolet is set to emerge as the best selling brand for the year. Ford, on the other hand, is mired in third place after clocking in as the top-selling brand nineteen times in the past twenty years.

Toyota's November market share was 13.8 percent and 13.4 for the year to date. Chevrolet's numbers were 12.7 and 14 respectively with Ford at 12.4 and 13.

For only the second time this year the Detroit Big Three fell under the 50 percent monthly share. For the year to date they stand at 51.1 percent, a decline from the same period in 2006 when the percentage was 53.9.

With the sales of imported vehicles remaining on the rise, the sale of light trucks and crossovers by U.S. makers dropped 6.8 percent. If the crossovers are designated as cars and excluded from the truck sales figures, the decline for trucks climbs to 15.5 percent.

Overall November sales hit 1,180,269, a decline of 1.6 percent over 2006. Sales of cars were up 4.3 percent, however and crossovers as a distinct genre climbed 19.1 percent.

Most analysts are in agreement that 2008 sales will fall below the current levels with the number for light vehicles likely to hit 15.6 million thanks to a slowing economy and the weakness of the credit market.