New car sales in the United States plunged more than 20 percent in 2009 to a 27-year low of 10.43 million vehicles, less than the 12.23 million sold in China during January-November, making the Asian giant the world's largest car market for the first time, data released by a U.S. research firm showed Tuesday.
That marked a turning point in the global auto industry, which had been led by the Big Three Detroit companies since Ford Motor Co. began mass production in 1913, introducing the world's first conveyor belt system.
Sales by all automakers operating in the U.S. totaled 10.43 million cars, a slide of 21.2 percent compared with 2008 and the smallest number sold since 1982, according to Autodata Corp.
In 2009, the U.S market was battered by the global recession. The market also shrank due to production cutbacks at General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC following their filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection earlier in the year.