Domestic and Asian auto sales plummet in OctoberScott Burgess / The Detroit NewsDomestic and Asian automakers reported double-digit sales declines in October, with General Motors Corp. posting the biggest drop in vehicle sales -- 45 percent -- compared to the same month last year, the automakers reported today. Crosstown rival Ford Motor Co. reported a 30 percent drop in sales. Among the Asian automakers, Toyota Motor Corp.'s sales dropped 23 percent; Honda Motor Co.'s sales fell 25 percent, and Nissan Motor Co. reported a 33 percent drop in October vehicle sales, according to the automakers. 'The market has been shrinking for three years, but in October we saw a dramatic decline for the industry and GM,' said Mark LaNeve, vice president, GM North America Vehicle Sales, Service and Marketing, in a news release. 'We are obviously disappointed in our results which reflect a difficult comparison with a strong year-ago October performance. More importantly, it also reflects an unprecedented credit crunch that is dramatically impacting the entire U.S. economy -- from the housing market to big and small companies to banks to family-run businesses. The credit freeze has also had a very negative impact on consumers' confidence and their purchase behavior across America.'