Auto sales posted another dismal December, capping a horrendous 2008. Should we be surprised? Of course not -- we have been talking about this for some time. Expensive vehicles and gas guzzlers were hit the most, as cost-sensitive consumers and tight credit markets rule the day.BMW sales were down 36% in December and 10% in 2008. The pillar of strength here is the Mini, believe it or not.Chrysler was down 53% in December and 30% in 2008. Most of the weakness can be traced to the 300, Wrangler, Grand Cherokee and Ram.Daimler (DAI) was down 24% in December and down 2% in 2008. The C-class, a terrific car we saw in San Diego a couple of days ago, is keeping this company afloat.Ford (F) was down 34% in December and down 22% in 2008. The weakness can be tied ...

Here we cite the following auto companies: Nissan (NSANY), Honda Motor Co. (HMC), Daimler AG (DAI), Ford Motor Co. (F), Toyota Motors (TM) and General Motors Corp. (GM).

On the flipside of senior equity analyst Paul Raman, CFA's notes on the San Diego Auto Show, we now cast the spotlight toward where auto companies might need to make near-term improvements. Most if not all companies will be looking to make strategic acquisitions and/or joint ventures to increase their global positions.

SUBARU (Forester, Outback, Impreza, Legacy, Tribeca)This company is owned by Fuji Heavy Industries.Overall, this product line has an SUV focus, but vehicles have too much plastic, in our opinion.  Models that should be discontinued - Impreza.

NISSANMurano - Sales are off 10%, but this a 21 MPG vehicle that has 4/5 star safety and a nice interior. It is a crossover and has

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This blog cites General Motors Corp. (GM), Ford Motor Co. (F), Toyota Motors (TM), Honda Motor Co. (HMC), Daimler, Inc. (DAI), Nissan Motors (NSANY) and others.

Zacks senior auto industry analyst Paul Raman, CFA recently published his extensive notes on the San Diego Auto Show, and we pulled his positive stories to illustrate where -- if anywhere -- automakers might have demonstrated a workable starting point.

NISSANAltima - Sales are up 2%. Gas mileage is excellent, in the 23-24 MPG range. Prices range from $22-27K. The car has 55% US content and 21% Japanese content. Overall, the interior could use some improvement, and there appeared to be not enough leg room. There is a hybrid version that costs $30K and gets 34 MPG.Rogue - This is a hot-selling crossover that gets 25 MPG with 4/5 star safety and a $27K price tag. There is

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Malcolm. J. Fraser, Jr. Ph.D. earned his Ph.D from Ohio State University and performed postdoctoral research at Penn State University and Texas A&M University. At the Texan University, he played a key role in developing the genetic expression system which is now a widely used methodology for producing organic molecules, including pharmaceuticals, on an industrial scale.

Randy Lewis, Ph.D received his B.S. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology, and his M.S. in chemistry and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of California, San Diego. Dr. Lewis, internationally renowned for his work on spider silk, is the named inventor of a number of patents relating to spider silk polymers. He currently heads the Lewis Laboratory within the Department of Molecular Biology at the University of Wyoming. The study of spider silk polymers and their underlying genetics is a major focus of Dr. Lewis’s research.

Donald

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Based in San Diego, Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AMLN) is focused on the treatment of diabetes and other metabolic disorders. We have been cautious on Amylin since the beginning of the year, and we are still unconvinced that the sustained release formulation of Byetta, known as exenatide LAR, will be approved on its first cycle FDA review.However, with the shares trading at multi-year lows, and the stock down 70% YTD, the worst may be over for Amylin. Eli Lilly's (LLY) obvious commitment to Byetta and LAR will probably put a floor under further price declines. News that Lilly will move forward with the LAR filing in 2009 is a positive, but we are still unconvinced the drug will be approved on first cycle review due to lingering safety concerns.  In the meantime, an FDA decision on Byetta as a monotherapy could provide a boost ...

The ground is giving way beneath our feet: Sell the dollar…Sell Treasuries.   People still stand their ground…they do not panic. They do the right thing. But then, they go into work – but find they have no jobs. They look at their pension account – wisely invested in a diversified portfolio – and find that it has lost half its value. And their houses lose 20% of their value. In places such as San Diego, Las Vegas and Miami, the losses are more like 30%- 40%. The ground gives way…and they find themselves in Hell.

Friday, the Dow registered a 61 point improvement, after much disappointment the day before. Is the rally on or off? We don’t know…

But what MUST happen, WILL happen. Fish gotta swim. Birds gotta fly. And bubbles gotta pop. The bubble in private debt has popped already. And now, the bubble in public debt has to

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Alt Energy and Clean Tech Markets 2008 Year in Review and Looking Forward to 2009 Interview with Steve Strasser of Power Efficiency, December 10, 2008Steve Strasser is Chairman and CEO of Power Efficiency (OTCBB:PEFF), a technology company focused on developing energy efficiency solutions for electronic motors for industrial and appliance applications. Aspire: What surprised you about the renewable energy/clean tech markets in 2008? Were there any significant developments (political, technological, consumer-driven and/or industry-driven) that occurred which you werenrsquo;t anticipating? Please briefly explain.nbsp;nbsp; Strasser: I was surprised by the renewal of the tax credits. In addition, there we have a new administration and leadership in Congress that will make a greater effort to promote this industry, and energy efficiency in particular.nbsp;nbsp; What I am seeing with energy efficiency is that people and businesses have always been very interested in energy efficiency but the problem from an economic standpoint for businesses, as new technologies ...

Solera Holdings, Inc. (...

December 5, 2008 ndash; Analyst Comments ndash; Cowen amp; Companyrsquo;s Robert Stone issued an Industry Outlook this morning on solar, concluding that continued growth depends on a stabilization between the euro and dollar, strengthening in project credit, new sources of tax equity and continued government support. He cited a channel check amongst dealers noting that dealers generally expect installation growth to accelerate and interestingly, that dealers donrsquo;t expect module oversupply. He reiterated that government support will be a critical component for growth. Our take on Stonersquo;s comments is that we completely agree that the factors for growth in solar that he cited will be critical to continued growth. The good news, we think, is that there is strong visibility on each of these fronts: middot;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Stabilization between the euro and the dollar ndash; many solar companies have taken a hit on the erosion of the euro relative to the dollar, ...

Unless you’re a turkey, Thanksgiving is usually a happy holiday. But Bill Bonner says the crumbling economy leaves all of us fearing the axe this year. The global credit crisis has taken us into unchartered territory. And government bailouts will only draw out the inevitable correction.

This from The Daily Reckoning:

“Until today or tomorrow, the typical turkey enjoyed a fairly decent life…” commented our friend Nassim Taleb, in Zurich yesterday.

Yesterday [Wednesday], the stock market was quiet. The Dow ended up 36 points. Oil held at $50. Gold too…it stayed right where it was, at $820 an ounce.

But the slaughterhouses and gold mints worked overtime.

“You can understand how fraudulent most economic analysis is,” Nassim explained, “just by looking the life of the turkey. The animal is fed for 1000 days…and then it is killed. So, if you plotted out the turkey’s life on a chart, it would look

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