Ailing even during healthy economic times, U.S. automakers are expecting to take an especially big hit in the sales charts during 2008 — one that cannot be expressed as a mere downward curve, but as something with more depth:

[Chrysler CEO Bob Nardelli] describes the current downturn as “bathtub-shaped” as opposed to v-shaped, implying it will be of longer duration.

With Detroit eventually going down the drain, presumably. And a ring around the tub left behind, consisting of abandoned factories and long unemployment lines.