With the federal cash-for-clunkers program a thing of the past, automakers saw their September sales slump once again with both General Motors and Chrysler group down more than 40 percent.

American Honda posted a 20 percent decline with Toyota down 13 percent and Ford off 5 percent after seeing two straight months of year-over-year improvement.

BMW Group, on the other hand, picked up 4 percent, with Porsche up 8 percent, its second gaining month in a row. For the third month Hyundai-Kia saw brisk sales, climbing an impressive 26 percent.

In a statement, the head of the Chrysler brand, Peter Fong said, "While we had some bright spots in September, it was still a challenging sales environment for the industry. We believe the remainder of 2009 will continue to be a challenge for the U.S. automotive market. Credit markets have thawed slightly but still remain tight, and consumer confidence, as we saw in September, is tenuous."

The cash-for-clunkers program, which ended August 24, drained car dealers inventories going into September and pulled in buyers who might have waited later in the year. Consequently, most analysts predicted the slump, although in some cases the numbers were greater than anticipated.

Inventories have been restocked and although times remain tough, their is a hope for a gradual improvement in sales numbers at the end of the year and in the first quarter of 2010.