Toyota Motor Corp., facing its first loss in 59 years, suffered a record drop in U.S. sales last month as the recession in the world's top car market cut industrywide demand to the lowest level since December 1981.

The total size of the U.S. auto market shrank 41.4 percent compared with the same month last year to hit 688,909 units.

Asia-based carmakers' sales fell a combined 34 percent from a year earlier, led by a 40 percent plunge for Toyota, the world's largest automaker.