Friday, January 25, 2008

Toyota And General Motors Virtually Tied

This year, Japanese automaker Toyota is expected to unseat General Motors as the world's largest automaker. The title of being the largest automaker is dependent on the number of vehicles produced annually by an automaker. Last year, both automakers reported their production goals and Toyota has the bigger goal.

Toyota is getting closer to overtake General Motors if sales last year are any indication. For 76 years, General Motors has been enjoying much success and has never been under considerable threat of being overtaken. But the Japanese automaker has proven to be a very worthy adversary.

The Auto Channel recently reported that last year, General Motors and Toyota are practically tied in sales. On Wednesday, General Motors announced that they have sold 9.37 million units of cars and light trucks all over the world. Toyota on the other hand also announced that they have also sold 9.37 million units of vehicles globally.

Reuters reported though that General Motors is still leading Toyota in terms of sale. The report cited a source saying that the Detroit automaker sold 9,369,524 units of vehicles lat year. On the other hand, the Japanese automaker known for their vehicles and auto parts as reliable as KYB shocks managed to sell about 9,366,000 vehicles.

The biggest factor in Toyota's rise to challenge General Motors is it increasing market share in the United States auto market. Being the largest auto market in the world, the United States proved to be the Waterloo of General Motors. While the Detroit automakers' sales in the other parts of the world increases, their market share in the United States continue to decrease.

From 1998, it was reported that General Motors' global market growth increased by 1.5 percent annually. Meanwhile, during that time, Toyota's growth rate is five times more. This means that the two automakers are now neck-to-neck. General Motors' chief sales analyst Mike DiGiovanni said: "We are very competitive here at GM and obviously we'd like to win."

"But I would say that what we are really focused on running our business for the long term profitably and growing. I think we are laying the foundation to grow where the growth is and laying the foundation to turn around in the U.S.," he added further.

The Detroit automaker is counting on expanding their production output in China and the Latin America to fight off the challenge by the Japanese automaker. According to their sales report, the automaker sold 5.5 million vehicles outside of the United States.

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