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).