March U.S. auto sales plummeted by 12 percent to 1.36 million vehicles, while sales declined 8 percent for the quarter to 3.58 million vehicles, Automotive News reports.

Credit crunches, mortgage messes and rising fuel prices all combined to bring down sales and lower consumer confidence. The only hints of optimism during the month arose from smaller fuel-efficient vehicles.

In March, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. suffered its fourth straight month of lower sales, something that hasn't happened in recent memory.

Sales at Toyota, including the Scion and Lexus brands, declined 10.3 percent over last March and fell 5.6 percent for the first quarter.

Chrysler LLC's 19.4 percent plunge in sales was the industry's biggest for the month among major automakers. Chrysler sold 166,386 vehicles in March. Sales fell 15.5 for the first quarter.

General Motors sold 282,732 vehicles in March, down 18.7 percent over last year. GM’s truck sales were down 22.4 percent and car sales were down 7.6 percent, according to GM's figures. For the first quarter, GM's total sales fell 10.9 percent.

Meanwhile, Ford Motor Co. also attributed its 14.1 percent drop over last March to the collapse of light-truck sales. In March, Ford delivered 129,063 light trucks, down from 156,036 a year ago. For the month, Ford sold 227,143 vehicles, down from 264,975 last year.

According to Automotive News, Ford's total sales fell 9.0 percent for the first quarter compared with the same quarter last year. Ford's U.S. sales chief Jim Farley said Tuesday that the next three months may be the most difficult quarter of 2008.