GM Sales Slip 4.4% in December, But Optimism Reigns

General Motors Corp. sales slipped 4.4% in December, but the auto maker says it posted significant gains on the retail side and thinks 2008 may not harbor the doom and gloom many industry observers anticipate.

The auto maker delivered 320,028 new cars and trucks in the 12th month, according to Ward’s data, compared with year-ago’s 334,846.

Officials attribute the bulk of the decline ...