Maryland new-car sales fell 9.6 percent in December to close out the poorest year since 1999, according to new figures from the Motor Vehicle Administration. Dealers sold 24,312 new cars, down from 26,879 in December 2006. And December sales were probably boosted by the fact that Maryland's auto-title tax went from 5 percent to 6 percent this month, spurring people who were going to buy in February or March to buy in December. 1 percent on a $30,000 car is $300.

For the year, Maryland dealers sold 378,184 new cars -- down 5.3 percent from 2006 results and down 11.7 percent -- 50,000 cars -- from the record in 2004. It'll be interesting to see what kind of incentives car companies put on the table. "We're doing less of that now," a GM spokewoman told me a couple days ago. Just wait a few months.