Citing the limited credit currently available to American car buyers, Chrysler has been the first of the big three automakers to announce a complete, month-long cessation of production. After the last shift this Friday night, Chrysler will discontinue production operations until at least January 19th, 2009.

Having failed to attain taxpayer funds for a line of credit, the Big Three automakers have all announced production cuts; GM will limit production in the early part of next year, while Ford will extend the holiday vacation by a week. The cutbacks represent a sort of survival mode for the three firms, as they hold out hope that better economic conditions or an infusion of cash from the financial bailout approved earlier this year.

It may also be worth noting that Chrysler, the first of the big three to announce a shutdown, has also had the worst fuel economy across its fleet on the American market in recent years. In fact, during the fuel price spike earlier this year, the company even subsidized fuel costs to entice new drivers. While gasoline may be historically cheap now, this still ought to serve as a powerful warning to automakers attempting to design their way out of the current crisis.

Photo by  Flickr user Willvision Photography