Here's some non-news - car sales are in the toilet.

I know we're already a week into May, but I just got April's numbers from our data folks (my fault, not theirs) and it's not a pretty picture. Here's the basic rundown in all its badness:

April car sales were the worst since 1995, and 8% below March (usually sales pick up from March to April)

The Honda Accord was the best selling vehicle last month, better not only than Camry, but better than Ford F-150 and Chevy Silverado, too (the Silverado started the year in the #1 position, and the Chevy/Ford full-size trucks have outsold midsize sedans for years)

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You may have already heard this, but there's a growing relationship between Chrysler and Nissan. For complete details, check out Michelle Krebs' excellent analysis on AutoObserver.com.

Like many automakers, Nissan and Chrysler are two companies with clearly-defined strengths and weaknesses. What wasn't so obvious to me, until hearing about the budding partnership and reading Michelle's article, is how perfectly these two entities line up and how much stronger they could be as a single unit. Recent history suggests that mergers on this scale are never as simple as they appear at first glance, and the last thing either automaker needs is another failed coupling.

But bottom line -- Cerberus Capital Management is a "show me the money" group of guys, and Carlos Ghosn has wanted a U.S. paring for awhile. It doesn't take a crystal ball to see where this might go, though for now both companies are merely talking about model-sharing plans. How far will these plans go? Let take a look at the obvious ones (all stolen from Michelle's article):

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The final numbers for March are in. The news isn't pretty, but that's not particularly surprising. Our data hounds have crunched the figures and added their trademark analysis to give them meaning. Here are the sales numbers for the "Big 6" automakers:

1. Chrysler LLC is down 16% so far this year, with Wrangler down 31%, Grand Cherokee down 25%, Ram down 25%, Town & Country down 7%, Compass down 12% and Durango down 37%. But the Avenger is up 63%, Sebring is up 45% and even the Caliber(!) is up 15%. Who knew?

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