GM retakes global sales crown with over 9M units shifted in 2011
1/19/12, 09:07 PM
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GM retakes global sales crown with over 9M units shifted in 2011
http://www.autoblog.com/2012/01/19/g...ifted-in-2011/
Just 30 months since General Motors emerged from bankruptcy, the Detroit-based automaker can once again call itself the world's largest. GM sold just over 9 million vehicles globally in 2011, its highest sales total ever, while chief rival Toyota may slip as far as third place, according to TheDetroitBureau.com, which reports that Volkswagen will pass Toyota to claim the runner-up spot.
Led by a record-setting 4.76 million sales year from Chevrolet, GM saw sales rise in all four of its reporting regions. The company says it now claims 11.9 percent of the global market. Sales in the U.S. were up 13 percent with 1.7 million vehicles sold.
It wasn't a good year for Toyota, the largest carmaker by sales volume for the past three years, since unseating GM in 2008. The Japanese manufacturer experienced production interruptions from the earthquake and resultant tsunami in Japan in early 2011, and then again when Thailand experienced widespread flooding later in the year.
While GM's legion of critics will no doubt point to the natural disasters in an attempt to diminish the significance of GM reclaiming the top spot, the company has to be feeling pretty good about its accomplishments last year. Not that being number one matters that much. As analyst Aaron Bragman of IHS Automotive tells The Bureau, "Being biggest in the world is not necessarily an advantage to anyone."
Just 30 months since General Motors emerged from bankruptcy, the Detroit-based automaker can once again call itself the world's largest. GM sold just over 9 million vehicles globally in 2011, its highest sales total ever, while chief rival Toyota may slip as far as third place, according to TheDetroitBureau.com, which reports that Volkswagen will pass Toyota to claim the runner-up spot.
Led by a record-setting 4.76 million sales year from Chevrolet, GM saw sales rise in all four of its reporting regions. The company says it now claims 11.9 percent of the global market. Sales in the U.S. were up 13 percent with 1.7 million vehicles sold.
It wasn't a good year for Toyota, the largest carmaker by sales volume for the past three years, since unseating GM in 2008. The Japanese manufacturer experienced production interruptions from the earthquake and resultant tsunami in Japan in early 2011, and then again when Thailand experienced widespread flooding later in the year.
While GM's legion of critics will no doubt point to the natural disasters in an attempt to diminish the significance of GM reclaiming the top spot, the company has to be feeling pretty good about its accomplishments last year. Not that being number one matters that much. As analyst Aaron Bragman of IHS Automotive tells The Bureau, "Being biggest in the world is not necessarily an advantage to anyone."
1/22/12, 01:20 PM
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Which company was the world’s biggest automaker last year? General Motors initially claimed that crown, but now Volkswagen Group is crying foul. The German automaker says that, because its sales total doesn’t include numbers from truck manufacturers MAN and Scania, Volkswagen Group was actually the world’s biggest automaker in 2011.
GM announced earlier this week that in 2011 it sold 9.03 million vehicles globally, a gain of 7.6 percent compared to 2010. Those figures would position GM as the world’s largest automaker for 2011; Volkswagen Group said it sold 8.16 million vehicles globally last year, up 14.3 percent year-over-year and most likely positioning the company as the second-largest automaker of 2011.
Now Volkswagen is disputing the claims and suggesting that it bested GM last year. According to Automotive News, Volkswagen’s 8.16-million figure doesn’t include sales from commercial truck divisions MAN and Scania. Once those figures are added, it will significantly bolster VW’s annual sales tally.
On top of that, GM’s sales figure was padded with about one million sales by Chinese automakers SAIC Motor Corp. and Wuling Motors Co. — companies with which GM has joint ventures, but in which the American company does not have a controlling stake. If those sales were excluded and VW’s truck figures added, Volkswagen would probably steal the global sales crown from GM.
In 2011, the Volkswagen Group (which includes Audi and Bentley) sold 444,300 vehicles in the U.S., a gain of 23.3 percent compared to 2010. At the same time, General Motors sold 2.5 million vehicles here last year, an increase of 13 percent versus 2010. The best-selling GM product was the Chevrolet Silverado pickup, while Volkswagen’s best U.S. sales came from the new Jetta sedan.
GM announced earlier this week that in 2011 it sold 9.03 million vehicles globally, a gain of 7.6 percent compared to 2010. Those figures would position GM as the world’s largest automaker for 2011; Volkswagen Group said it sold 8.16 million vehicles globally last year, up 14.3 percent year-over-year and most likely positioning the company as the second-largest automaker of 2011.
Now Volkswagen is disputing the claims and suggesting that it bested GM last year. According to Automotive News, Volkswagen’s 8.16-million figure doesn’t include sales from commercial truck divisions MAN and Scania. Once those figures are added, it will significantly bolster VW’s annual sales tally.
On top of that, GM’s sales figure was padded with about one million sales by Chinese automakers SAIC Motor Corp. and Wuling Motors Co. — companies with which GM has joint ventures, but in which the American company does not have a controlling stake. If those sales were excluded and VW’s truck figures added, Volkswagen would probably steal the global sales crown from GM.
In 2011, the Volkswagen Group (which includes Audi and Bentley) sold 444,300 vehicles in the U.S., a gain of 23.3 percent compared to 2010. At the same time, General Motors sold 2.5 million vehicles here last year, an increase of 13 percent versus 2010. The best-selling GM product was the Chevrolet Silverado pickup, while Volkswagen’s best U.S. sales came from the new Jetta sedan.
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