So who are the mass manufacturers who've been struggling to find buyers during the past 12 months? In Britain, at least, Saab has the dubious honour of topping the league table. But Daihatsu and Chrysler aren't far behind. All three lost more than half their sales last year (compared with 2008).
Jeep is down 38 per cent, Proton 37 per cent and Dodge almost a third. Renault and Mitsubishi have both plummeted 29 per cent, Lexus 28 per cent, while Subaru and Vauxhall have both slumped by a fifth.
Looking at the bigger picture and registrations for Europe as a whole, BMW did particularly badly with a 15 per cent slide last year, while Mercedes dived 14 per cent. Currently, it's possible to get almost 20 per cent off many BMWs, while Mercedes is preferring to keep its price slashing in the 10-15 per cent region. For now.
Of the 10 best-selling models in Europe, the Ford Focus suffered more than any other car last year: a 15 per cent drop in sales. If you're buying one of these overpriced family hatchbacks in Britain, ask for – and get – as much as a third off.
* With cash-strapped General Motors and its paymaster, the US government, perilously close to shutting down and permanently killing off Saab, discounts on the Swedish firm's 9-3 and 9-5 saloons and estates are refusing to go higher than the 33 per cent mark, which is surprising considering that they're almost defunct models.
But if anything, these price reductions could get smaller rather than larger as production grinds to a halt and Saab diehards worldwide fight to grab the last-ever models to roll off the line. They might become valuable collectors' items. But, then again, they could become as worthless as most second-hand Rovers.
* It's a fact that we drivers pay the Government £52,000 million per year in road user taxes. And part of this colossal financial contribution from us goes to the Highways Agency, local councils, police forces and other agencies, in return for decent pothole-free streets that are properly managed, and gritted before snow and ice arrive.
It's wholly unacceptable that in recent weeks countless roads were inadequately gritted and therefore became treacherously unpassable for some drivers who had no choice but to park up, sometimes for the night, occasionally for days on end.
But it's a bloody disgrace that some of these desperate motorists faced with impenetrable routes are now facing fines of £100 or more. This following the decision by numerous profit-obsessed authorities to tow their "abandoned" cars away.
The state has effectively slapped parking tickets and towaway fees on motorists who were unable to complete their journeys, largely because the state didn't clear the highways of snow, failed to treat the ice and therefore failed to keep roads open.
I strongly urge motorists who have been accused of "abandoning" their vehicles to challenge the allegation in court.
* The most suitable cars for first-time drivers, or families seeking additional motors, are the sub-superminis that make up the mixed-race Citroën C1/Peugeot 107/Toyota Aygo clan.
These little cars are cheap to buy, insure and fuel (officially, they typically do 63mpg), and they're not short of good looks and street cred, either.
As all three are near identical, it's no surprise that there's little between them in terms of list prices, which all start at a tad over £8,000.
Discounts vary but new-car investments don't come much better than this.
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