The auto industry rang out the old year with a small sales decline.
It was still a very good year.
2017 new vehicle sales fell short of the record of 2016, but the pace was still strong.
Ford had a slight gain on the strength of record sales for the F-150.
GM, Toyota, Fiat Chrysler, Honda, and Nissan posted declines.
Sales for the year fell for the first time since 2009. But the industry topped 17-million vehicles sold for the third straight year and the fifth time ever.
The forecast for this year: experts predict about the same.