ydooby

Amazingly fast comeback.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/toyo...gain-1B7951302

Toyota is world's largest automaker again

Toyota has again dethroned General Motors as the world's top-selling automaker.

The Japanese company sold 9.7 million cars and trucks worldwide in 2012, although it's still counting. GM sold 9.29 million.

Both companies saw higher sales, but Toyota's growth was far larger as it rolled out new versions of popular models like the Camry. GM executives promised sales growth this year, especially in the U.S. Both companies say publicly that they don't care about who wins, but concede that the crown is an important morale booster for employees.

GM was the top-selling carmaker for more than seven decades before losing the title to Toyota in 2008. But GM retook the sales crown in 2011 when Toyota's factories were slowed by an earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The disaster left Toyota dealers with few cars to sell. The company has since recovered.

Toyota's comeback from the earthquake, and flooding in Thailand, is only part of the story, says Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting for LMC Automotive, a Detroit-area industry forecasting firm. The company also has freshened up its stale midsize sedan, the Camry, the top-selling car in the United States.

GM's global sales rose 2.9 percent last year, it announced Monday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Toyota sales rose 22 percent.

Schuster expects Toyota to keep the lead over GM this year as it launches a new Corolla.

"I think that's going to be enough to keep them in their position," he says.

GM is also contending with a stronger Volkswagen. It narrowly edged out the fast-growing German company for second place in 2012. VW sold a record 9.1 million vehicles.

Volkswagen, with big sellers like the Passat midsize sedan and Jetta compact, closed in on GM with an 11 percent sales increase across the globe. The United States, where VW Group sales rose 34 percent, led the way.

Schuster expects GM to hold off Volkswagen in 2013. That's because VW has more of a presence in Europe, where sales are falling as the region struggles with high unemployment and weak economies.

CDNROCKIES

Congrats to Toyota! While I am not a fan of their entire lineup, I can respect what they do, and it is amusing to see the haters bash the best selling brand in the world...lol.

Akito san

Congrats Wooo I test driven many new Toyotas and even Frs really nice cars!!

Chevrolet has sooo many recalls check it out online for any people that doubt it terrible service at the dealership in my area my co worker said.

LexFather

They got their mojo back!

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

This will be an interesting stat to watch in the next few years between GM, Toyota, and VW. One from each corner of the world

mmarshall

I won't take anything away from Toyota...it has been a very strong corporation for decades. But, what do you expect, given that GM went through bankrupcy and lost four entire divisions...that's a big loss. In fact, it's somewhat surprising that it took Toyota this long to overtake GM, even considering the problems Toyota went through with the (alledged) product-defects/investigations and bad publicity.

pbm317

You realize Toyota initially overtook GM in 2008 right? Toyota has done this, for the most part, with one single brand. GM also had like a 60 year headstart on Toyota.

mrraider

There's less than 800000 cars separating the top three. It's anybody's game 2013. I hope the competition will be fierce, and the consumer will reap the benefits.

TripleL

Congrat's to Toyota! Just continue to keep the quality high and the sales will follow.

mmarshall

Yes, I know that. But Toyota officials now acknowledge they grew too fast....and that it caused some product-quality issues (same thing that earlier plagued GM).

Hmmm.....I count three brands, just in the American market alone (Toyota, Scion, Lexus). The corporation also own shares of Subaru, Daihatsu, and some other companies.

Not quite. Toyota, as we know it, dates from 1937....GM, as we know it, from between 1915 and 1920.

mmarshall

Agreed. VW has gotten to be of enormous size worldwide (though not necessarily in the U.S. market), and Hyundai/Kia are also growing fast.

pbm317

Scion is U.S. only, and they take models sold as Toyota in Japan/Europe. Lexus is still relatively new and until recently didn't exist outside of the U.S. either. I said "for the most part" one brand, which is still somewhat true.

Yes Toyota officially was founded in 1937, entered the U.S. market closer to 1957. They were the first in Japan toying with autos. While automobiles existed in the U.S. from the turn of the century. So I still consider that a pretty sizable lead in potential exposure and experience with automobiles.

Trexus

Toyota is back full force!

GM actually was founded 1908. Cadillac (founded 1902) is even older than GM which was acutally started by Henry Ford and sold to GM.

mmarshall

I had a feeling you would say that. Yes, I agree it is partly true. Lexus did exist in a number of countries, though...but it has, as you note, been a relatively recent introduction in Japan.

The first Toyota cars to be released in the U.S. (as you note, in the late 1950s) were known as Toyopets. Most Americans laughed at them (as did even some VW-Beetle owners, as the Beetle was then rapidly-increasing in popularity). The first Toyopets were cramped, flimsily-built, coffins in an accident, and (like the air-cooled VW Beetle), underpowered and took all day to get rolling. But the Japanese (and especially Toyota and Honda) learned quickly. Little did these original American detractors know that within 20 years, Detroit itself would intensely feel the pressure of Japanese competition....and even selling rebadged Japanese imports.

GSteg

iTrader: (15)

Great news! Toyota is like a vending machine. They have a car/truck/suv in different size to fit your needs