Sydney: Australian car sales plunged by more than 22 percent in November from a year earlier, as the global financial crisis put the brakes on Australia's economy, industry figures showed Thursday. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries said 71,647 new cars and trucks were sold by retailers last month, down 20,434 — or a whopping 22.2 percent — on the 92,081 units sold in November 2007. afp