Video

Japan's Toyota closed out 2007 by becoming the No.2 U.S. player, while likely eclipsing GM for the world title. MOREINFO: SCRIPT: Japan's Toyota Motor closed out 2007 by becoming the No.2 U.S. auto player, while likely eclipsing General Motors for the world title. Ford Motor saw its sales slide as Toyota's rose, lifting the Japan leader to the U.S. runner up slot, a position Ford had held for 76 years. Overall, the U.S. auto industry saw its worst year in a decade, as record gas prices weighed on consumer demand, with predictions of even deeper declines this year. But Japanese automakers all showed rising U.S. sales in 2007. For 2008, Toyota expects a mild 1-2% rise in U.S. sales, even forecasting flat growth for its popular hybrid Prius. Toyota's hybrid vehicles jumped 44% last year, with the Prius led the sales charge On Friday, though, shares of the Japanese automaker, like all major exporters, began 2008 on the downside, as a sharp rise in the yen against the dollar sparked concerns about the impact on profits. Dan Sloan reporting.