GM pulls ahead of Toyota

[Toyota.vs.GM]

General Motors said it sold 9.369,524 vehicles worldwide last year,up 3 percent from 2006,which also beat out Toyota for the top spot,Toyota sold 9,366,000 vehicles in 2007.

Edited January 23, 2008 by Toyota.vs.GM

[Camino LS6]

Told you guys it'd be a horse race!

I expect it to be like this for the next decade or so.

[Duncan]

In the words of Mark Twain, "the rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated."

Good to see - now let's watch how the rest of the media covers it.

[Dsuupr]

Knowing toyota they probably sold 9.300,001 vehicles which they rounded up.

[Camino LS6]

It doesn't matter.

It will be close for quite some time now as Toyota discovered that the job isn't so easy after all and GM discovered that the title actually could be defended.

The two will trade punches for the forseeable future.

[thegriffon]

Toyota's figures include heavy trucks.

[Camino LS6]

Figures.

[thegriffon]

IIRC GM still sells a few heavy trucks in some markets as well, but the balance will be slightly in Toyota's favor.

[andy82471]

Figures.

So does GM's . And GM also includes figures from sales in minority owned stake such as the Wuling Motors in China.

[makfu]

Knowing toyota they probably sold 9.300,001 vehicles which they rounded up.

On the front page of the Reuters business section, they are now reporting that GM did outsell Toyota (by a ridiculously slim margin).

GM pulls ahead of Toyota in '07 global sales - By Jui Chakravorty Das

DETROIT (Reuters) - General Motors Corp on Wednesday reported worldwide sales of 9.37 million vehicles in 2007, coming in just ahead of Japanese rival Toyota Motor Corp in a closely watched race for the top spot in global sales.

GM, which was expected to lose its title of the world's largest automaker for the first time in 76 years, sold 9,369,524 vehicles in 2007. Toyota sold about 9,366,000 units, a source told Reuters on Wednesday.

The Japanese automaker earlier this month publicly announced global sales of 9.37 million for 2007, saying it would disclose more precise figures in late January.

GM said its total global sales rose 3 percent from a year earlier, driven by strong growth in regions outside North America.

Still, the two automakers are neck-and-neck, with only about 3,500 vehicles separating them at a time when Toyota has been growing in the United States -- the world's single largest market for vehicle sales -- while GM's domestic market share has been slipping.

Since 1998, GM's global sales have grown at an average annual rate of about 1.5 percent, while Toyota's growth rate has been five times that.

The two automakers have been perceived to be in a heated race this year after Toyota overtook GM in the first quarter and then fell behind by just a few thousand units later in the year.

"We are very competitive here at GM and obviously we'd like to win," GM's chief sales analyst, Mike DiGiovanni, said on a call on Wednesday.

Read the rest here: http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN2362036320080123

Edited January 23, 2008 by makfu

[I hope GMRULES again]

Like Jack Smith said all the way back in 1992 at a shareholders meeting... "We must get profitable, satisfy consumers with better products and GROW the business in future years."

The General isn't a spent force yet in the auto industy.

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

This makes me just want to put on my GM shirt and give the middle finger to every import driver I see.

(Yep, I know... But it's funny!)

[toesuf94]

yes...but how many did each of them RECALL or "Warranty Adjust" (Sienna minivan)?

[I hope GMRULES again]

This makes me just want to put on my GM shirt and give the middle finger to every import driver I see.

(Yep, I know... But it's funny!)

Me too!

Edited January 23, 2008 by I hope GMRULES again

[vonVeezelsnider]

This makes me just want to put on my GM shirt and give the middle finger to every import driver I see.

Every once in a while I want to do the same thing.

[the_yellow_dart]

A race to 9.37 million vehicles for both companies ends in a win by 3 thousand.

That's insane.

To put it into perspective:

9,369,524 - 9,366,000 = 3,524 gap

3,524 / 9,369,524 = 0.03%

If 9,369,524 cars represents a quarter mile, then 3,524 represents... roughly half a foot.

So if this was a drag race, GM just won by 6 inches.

[Camino LS6]

But just like a drag race, all that counts is that you got there first.

[thegriffon]

So does GM's . And GM also includes figures from sales in minority owned stake such as the Wuling Motors in China.

SGM-Wuling is the only minority-owned operation— a JV between GM, SAIC Motor and Wuling Motor. Although GM owns slightly more than a third it is effectively run as part of Shanghai GM.

[gm4life]

Who cares they got it.

[wildcat]

9,369,524 - 9,366,000 = 3,524 gap

Essentially the same. So to me, this should at least mean that GM -- through it all -- is competitive with Toyota and, hopefully with the new GM products like the NG Buick LaCrosse, will improve upon their future totals.

Edited January 24, 2008 by wildcat

[Cory Wolfe]

This makes me just want to put on my GM shirt and give the middle finger to every import driver I see.

(Yep, I know... But it's funny!)

Almost as funny as my urge to flip off those with Confederate flags...

[ocnblu]

I have stopped flipping off every current-gen Prius driver because I feel sorry for them... but I still regularly flip off every new Tundra driver and I make sure they see me, too.

[Camino LS6]

I have stopped flipping off every current-gen Prius driver because I feel sorry for them... but I still regularly flip off every new Tundra driver and I make sure they see me, too.

[gm4life]

Honestly I know it was close but a Vinny would say like in F&F it doesn't matter if you win by an inch or a mile... Winning is winning. Toyota lost.

[gm4life]

I starting do it... And you know what when there tailgate falls off I will laugh... I feel even worse for them than the Prius drivers. It is a free experison thats why America is good.

I have stopped flipping off every current-gen Prius driver because I feel sorry for them... but I still regularly flip off every new Tundra driver and I make sure they see me, too.

[76ChevyTrucker]

eh, I don't flip them off, I cut them off, simply because I know that new Tundras ESP isn't going to work, or hell if I'm behind them, the camshaft or U-joint might fail unexpectantly and then my Impala will get Toyota cooties all over it. Its good to see the GM outsold them, and it doesn't matter if it was by just one car or truck, its still the win.

[Guest YellowJacket894]

There's no feeling like the one you get when you leave an old McDonald's cup more than half-full of flat Coke behind the rear tire of a Prius ... and then watch the driver get in and back over it and watch a mess get all over the rear fender.

Edited January 24, 2008 by YellowJacket894

[76ChevyTrucker]

Ahh, simple pleasures.

[andy82471]

But just like a drag race, all that counts is that you got there first.

Except for the fact that the race is far from over. This year Toyota aims to sell nearly 10 million vehicles. GM would have a difficult time matching that figure. To put things in prespective; 10 years ago GM was ahead of Toyota by 3 million vehicles, last year GM was ahead by about 300,000 vehicle, this year GM is ahead by a measly 3,000 vehicle. The trend is certainly in Toyota's favor. I don't see what all the celebration is about. All GM has managed is delay the inevitable by one year.

[Micah Pie]

Who cares?

Seriously, let Toyota be No.1, let their recalls skyrocket, their reliability hit rock bottom and take the time to cut down the fleet sales at GM. Like somebody said, I don't see BMW worry about being No.1 in volume, all they care about it No.1 in how their cars drive.

I would still never spend my hard earned money on a Toyota, no matter if EVERY LAST PERSON in my town had one or not. Matter of fact, I'd keep driving my 84 Olds just to piss them off.

[ZL-1]

Who cares?

Seriously, let Toyota be No.1, let their recalls skyrocket, their reliability hit rock bottom and take the time to cut down the fleet sales at GM. Like somebody said, I don't see BMW worry about being No.1 in volume, all they care about it No.1 in how their cars drive.

I agree! This is a business and GM has to worry about generating strong cash flow from the auto business and putting that money back into product development.

[jcgable]

Whats more important is that GM's trend isn't just reversing, it has already reversed itself. 3% global growth is not something to balk at. A year on year percentage growth like that is stellar for a company with as much volume as GM. One must remember that.

Will Toyota take number one next year? Barring a nuclear holocaust in Japan yes. Whats more important is that is okay-even good. I for one am pleased with Toyota's growth so far*. They have worked incredibly hard to get where they have gotten in the last 13 years-and have done it EXCEEDINGLY WELL. Bar the effect they have on unionized American jobs, they have given GM a reason to be competitive. Having two massive corporate juggernauts competing neck and neck will only mean better products, more advanced technologies, and more engineering breakthroughs. I can't wait to watch these companies compete over sales and profits for the next ten to twenty years. These are fun times for a marketing major!

Don't take this out of context. I am not a fan of Toyota vehicles. Bar the Celica, their styling and engineering is far too bland and derivative. I just don't see a changing industry with global competition as a bad thing (especially now that GM has the resources to be competitive).

[ZL-1]

Whats more important is that GM's trend isn't just reversing, it has already reversed itself. 3% global growth is not something to balk at. A year on year percentage growth like that is stellar for a company with as much volume as GM. One must remember that.

Will Toyota take number one next year? Barring a nuclear holocaust in Japan yes. Whats more important is that is okay-even good. I for one am pleased with Toyota's growth so far*. They have worked incredibly hard to get where they have gotten in the last 13 years-and have done it EXCEEDINGLY WELL. Bar the effect they have on unionized American jobs, they have given GM a reason to be competitive. Having two massive corporate juggernauts competing neck and neck will only mean better products, more advanced technologies, and more engineering breakthroughs. I can't wait to watch these companies compete over sales and profits for the next ten to twenty years. These are fun times for a marketing major!

Don't take this out of context. I am not a fan of Toyota vehicles. Bar the Celica, their styling and engineering is far too bland and derivative. I just don't see a changing industry with global competition as a bad thing (especially now that GM has the resources to be competitive).

[Camino LS6]

Except for the fact that the race is far from over. This year Toyota aims to sell nearly 10 million vehicles. GM would have a difficult time matching that figure. To put things in prespective; 10 years ago GM was ahead of Toyota by 3 million vehicles, last year GM was ahead by about 300,000 vehicle, this year GM is ahead by a measly 3,000 vehicle. The trend is certainly in Toyota's favor. I don't see what all the celebration is about. All GM has managed is delay the inevitable by one year.

Inevitable?

No, I don't think so.

As I've said before, this will be a contested position for the forseeable future.

[Z-06]

Except for the fact that the race is far from over. This year Toyota aims to sell nearly 10 million vehicles. GM would have a difficult time matching that figure. To put things in prespective; 10 years ago GM was ahead of Toyota by 3 million vehicles, last year GM was ahead by about 300,000 vehicle, this year GM is ahead by a measly 3,000 vehicle. The trend is certainly in Toyota's favor. I don't see what all the celebration is about. All GM has managed is delay the inevitable by one year.

If you are into trend following, certainly you will be bombing in the stock market.

[andy82471]

Inevitable?

No, I don't think so.

As I've said before, this will be a contested position for the forseeable future.

Actually, extrapolating the sales trend it is. Unless, Toyota completly implodes or GM sales increases by double digit % in this country ( neither of which is likely). Toyota is adding manufacturing capacity much faster than GM.

[andy82471]

If you are into trend following, certainly you will be bombing in the stock market.

Look I am not anti GM. But you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see how quickly Toyota caught up with GM. All I am saying is the momemtum is on Toyota's side.

[Toyota.vs.GM]

Look I am not anti GM. But you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see how quickly Toyota caught up with GM. All I am saying is the momemtum is on Toyota's side.

Most of that ''momemtum'' has came from North America,which will be in a slowdown.

Edited January 24, 2008 by Toyota.vs.GM

[Camino LS6]

...and GM is recovering nicely in North America while expanding dramatically in important markets around the world such as China and Russia.

No, this will be a long battle. I expect quite a few lead changes as the years unfold. A dominant number #1 won't happen again for a very long time.

[CARBIZ]

One could extrapolate further that Toyota dominates in North America in another few years, and we return to the malaise of the early '80s where GM owned the market and Chrysler/Ford picked up the crumbs..... The most interesting times in the auto industry occured in the '50s when Ford and GM were at each other's throats and Chrysler pulled a few aces out of its sleeves, too. By the late '60s, it was all over.

Much of Toyota's meteoric rise in North America has been because of the complicity with the media. The media is very fickle. If Toyota becomes #1, they will turn on Toyota like a pack of jackals.

I don't think any of this is inevitable. The Japanese are not terribly creative. Most of their recent success has been because they have found collaborators in North America to do their thinking for them. (Or are we forgetting that a lot of Toyota's success on these shores is because successful GM and Ford dealers put them there for free?) GM still has a few twitches left in the corpse.

Japan is both literally and figuratively an island. England was the dominant power for centuries because she was an island, too. It's easy to conquer the world when your own borders are secure. As long as MITI calls the shots, the Japanese public acquiesces to the sacrifices they are expected to make for the greater good, and we in the West fester in our own greed, Toyota will continue to prosper in North America, but not elsewhere - interestingly.

(Oh, and the really good part is that you guys are paying to protect Japan's borders while its companies kick our asses! That's delicious.)

Edited January 25, 2008 by CARBIZ

[Z-06]

Detroit's downfall and Toy's upswing almost occurred at the same time. That is why the "catching" of Toy looks so dramatic.

[Camino LS6]

And we all know how a pendulum works, right?

[gsdaddy]

It feels like a Corolla is passing a Corvette. A Corolla that does not need to stop for repairs (or gas). GM was once thought of a company that could never be overtaken. GM needs to make some great cars that can manufactured on common platforms for more than a few years to improve quality.

When Consumer Reports issued "Best Used Cars", there were 57 cars recommended. Only 2 were from GM: Buick Regal and Pontiac Vibe. There were 17 GM cars on the worst list. The Buick Regal was assembled in Canada for 8 years on the same platform. Does GM need 8 years to make a quality product? OK, 8 years is too long. The car's design got dated.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/us...t-406/index.htm

GM should be the the best auto company in the world. I will keep buying GM cars hoping they will get their act together.

By the way, my two oldest kids went off to college a couple years ago and I trading in my gas-guzzling 2001 Suburban K1500 for a 2003 Buick Regal GS. It has been very reliable and FUN to drive (yes I said fun). I owned a 1997 Buick Regal LS before the Burb. I plan to purchase the 2009/2010 Buick "Regal" and pass the GS to my oldest. I hope it is the China Holden car with the classic Buick trim!