Toyota tops GM in global Q1 sales
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Toyota tops GM in global Q1 sales
Well, I think we all knew it was coming ...
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/...ap3643689.html
http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2007/...ap3643689.html
Toyota Motor Corp. became the world's top auto seller in the first three months of the year, passing rival General Motors Corp. for the first time, the Japanese automaker said Tuesday.
Toyota (nyse: TM - news - people ) sold 2.348 million vehicles worldwide in the January-March quarter, company spokesman Satoshi Yamaguchi said, surpassing the 2.26 million vehicles that GM said it sold during the same period.
The results mark the first time Toyota has beat GM in global sales on a quarterly basis, he said.
While the figures represent only quarterly sales results, they foreshadow a tough challenge for GM as it fights to hold onto its title as world's top automaker - a claim usually staked on annual production figures.
In 2006, Toyota's global output surged 10 percent to 9.018 million vehicles, while GM produced 9.18 million vehicles worldwide - a gap of about 162,000.
Toyota has been gaining steadily on GM in recent years, and analysts have been saying it is only a matter of time before it eclipses its Detroit-based rival, which has seen its market share shrink in the United States even as it leads sales in China.
While GM has struggled to shore up earnings with job cuts and plant closures, Toyota has expanded rapidly, thanks partly to the popularity of its fuel-efficient cars, including the Camry, Corolla and Prius gas-electric hybrid.
GM, meanwhile, cut production last year as high fuel prices drove people away from its trucks and sport utility vehicles.
In the American market, Toyota's sales rose 12.9 percent last year, catapulting it past DaimlerChrysler AG (nyse: DCX - news - people ) as the No. 3 seller of autos in the U.S. Toyota's share of the U.S. market climbed to 16 percent in March, behind GM's 22 percent, and Ford Motor Co. (nyse: F - news - people )'s 17 percent.
A copy of Toyota's "global master plan" leaked to the news media late last year calls for grabbing 15 percent of the world car market by 2010 in the company's quest to unseat GM as the top producer.
In terms of production in the first quarter, Toyota made 2.367 million vehicles worldwide, up 2.6 percent from the same period last year. GM had expected to produce 2.335 million.
Toyota's shares fell 0.54 percent Tuesday to close at 7,370 yen ($62.46) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
Toyota (nyse: TM - news - people ) sold 2.348 million vehicles worldwide in the January-March quarter, company spokesman Satoshi Yamaguchi said, surpassing the 2.26 million vehicles that GM said it sold during the same period.
The results mark the first time Toyota has beat GM in global sales on a quarterly basis, he said.
While the figures represent only quarterly sales results, they foreshadow a tough challenge for GM as it fights to hold onto its title as world's top automaker - a claim usually staked on annual production figures.
In 2006, Toyota's global output surged 10 percent to 9.018 million vehicles, while GM produced 9.18 million vehicles worldwide - a gap of about 162,000.
Toyota has been gaining steadily on GM in recent years, and analysts have been saying it is only a matter of time before it eclipses its Detroit-based rival, which has seen its market share shrink in the United States even as it leads sales in China.
While GM has struggled to shore up earnings with job cuts and plant closures, Toyota has expanded rapidly, thanks partly to the popularity of its fuel-efficient cars, including the Camry, Corolla and Prius gas-electric hybrid.
GM, meanwhile, cut production last year as high fuel prices drove people away from its trucks and sport utility vehicles.
In the American market, Toyota's sales rose 12.9 percent last year, catapulting it past DaimlerChrysler AG (nyse: DCX - news - people ) as the No. 3 seller of autos in the U.S. Toyota's share of the U.S. market climbed to 16 percent in March, behind GM's 22 percent, and Ford Motor Co. (nyse: F - news - people )'s 17 percent.
A copy of Toyota's "global master plan" leaked to the news media late last year calls for grabbing 15 percent of the world car market by 2010 in the company's quest to unseat GM as the top producer.
In terms of production in the first quarter, Toyota made 2.367 million vehicles worldwide, up 2.6 percent from the same period last year. GM had expected to produce 2.335 million.
Toyota's shares fell 0.54 percent Tuesday to close at 7,370 yen ($62.46) on the Tokyo Stock Exchange
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From: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Yep, we knew it was coming..... and now it's here. I heard it on the way in to work this morning. My wife patted my knee for consolation..... Iwouldn't look at a Toyota before, I won't look at one now, the world hasn't changed that much I guess.
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From: Pewee Valley, KY
You know as much of a GM fan as I am let me just say "Thank God!" Now the US Media can have their field day, the Import humpers can praise themselves saying "We have been saying this is coming for 10 years!"
Now that that is out of the way lets see GM get focused and profitable. Lets make sure that GM knows that while being #1 is cool it means NOTHING without profit.
Now that that is out of the way lets see GM get focused and profitable. Lets make sure that GM knows that while being #1 is cool it means NOTHING without profit.
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From: Greenville, SC
You know as much of a GM fan as I am let me just say "Thank God!" Now the US Media can have their field day, the Import humpers can praise themselves saying "We have been saying this is coming for 10 years!"
Now that that is out of the way lets see GM get focused and profitable. Lets make sure that GM knows that while being #1 is cool it means NOTHING without profit.
Now that that is out of the way lets see GM get focused and profitable. Lets make sure that GM knows that while being #1 is cool it means NOTHING without profit.
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Posts: 280
Yep, yep, that freedom of choice thing and being free not to choose vehicles that have the same issues crop up year after year....that's a doozy for GM.
Heck, let's just name off the cracking dash pads and center console latches in our Camaros. If you're in the automotive big leagues, you don't let that go unchecked and expect to stay on top.
But, why let poor quality control matter? I'm not paying GM upwards of $20K for that kind of nonsense.
Heck, let's just name off the cracking dash pads and center console latches in our Camaros. If you're in the automotive big leagues, you don't let that go unchecked and expect to stay on top.
But, why let poor quality control matter? I'm not paying GM upwards of $20K for that kind of nonsense.
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Posts: 1,897
From: Greenville, SC
Some of the interior panels in my girlfriends 99 corolla started seperating about 2 years ago. The motor is noisy as hell, but "normal," with only 93K on the clock. For comparison, my 00 silverado has no interior issues except the headliner is begining to curl by the 3rd door, not noticable when the door is shut.
Toyota isn't the perfect powerhouse as people perceive them as. Increased sales and being number one will only amplify that and bring it to light. I give them another few years of growth, then expect to see recalls and a decrease in sales. There's now a huge target on their back. The brand to watch, IMO, is hyundai.
Toyota isn't the perfect powerhouse as people perceive them as. Increased sales and being number one will only amplify that and bring it to light. I give them another few years of growth, then expect to see recalls and a decrease in sales. There's now a huge target on their back. The brand to watch, IMO, is hyundai.
Last edited by Silverado C-10; Apr 24, 2007 at 09:27 AM.
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Reminder that the world is a big place, and North America is only a part of it (and relatively less important as China and India take off).
And GM's dominance in the North American market was effectively shot decades ago. Except for pickups, that is.
And GM's dominance in the North American market was effectively shot decades ago. Except for pickups, that is.
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From: Ontario
- GM may be the market leader in China but in such a fragmented and competitive market it will be tough to gain much more share. Toyota on the other hand is just starting out there and can only grow, and they certainly have the resources and talent to make it happen. In a way I'm surprised the Chinese are so accepting of a Japanese brand given their history, but who knows?
- In Europe GM has stagnated around 10%, while Toyota is again the newcomer that's gaining share at the expense of the established players
- In NA GM still hasn't stopped its marketshare loss, while Toyota continues to gain
- In Japan the market is effectively closed to foreigners so GM cannot attack Toyota's dominance there. Not that the Japanese would buy NA cars in volume anyway.
So I'd say it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. But as 91_z28_4me said, maybe it's a good thing to get it over with in 2007 so GM can worry about something else now. Maybe it will finally shake them up (after decades of feeling they owned the #1 spot), and they'll realize just how badly they've screwed up for the last 30 years.
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The media is eating this up!
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ne...ncl=1115557428
447 stories so far!
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ne...ncl=1115557428
447 stories so far!
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From: Oshawa - Home of the 5th-gen
Quoted from a Yahoo article:
Wow, good job media 
. Is perception automatically reality? 
Another clip ... I wish there was more focus on this stuff, but it seems it only really "matters" if it's GM:
Keep up the good work, Toyota!? 
Oh well, maybe this will motivate GM to REALLY clean up their act. It's one thing to "be" #1 ... it's another thing to "earn" it. Maybe Toyota has "earned" it at this point? Let's see if GM can earn it back? 
Toyota has won fans around the world with affordable cars seen as reliable, durable and fuel-efficient, while GM continued to rely heavily on high-margin but gas-guzzling vehicles to pull it out of financial difficulties.
. Is perception automatically reality? Another clip ... I wish there was more focus on this stuff, but it seems it only really "matters" if it's GM:
The breakneck pace of growth, however, has presented some hiccups for Toyota in recent years as vehicle recalls climbed to record levels.
Last year Toyota recalled more than a million vehicles in Japan and 760,000 in the United States, raising concerns that the company was stretching itself too thin too fast.
Last year Toyota recalled more than a million vehicles in Japan and 760,000 in the United States, raising concerns that the company was stretching itself too thin too fast.
Oh well, maybe this will motivate GM to REALLY clean up their act. It's one thing to "be" #1 ... it's another thing to "earn" it. Maybe Toyota has "earned" it at this point?
Let's see if GM can earn it back?