Toyota Motor Corp. exceeded General Motors (GM) in the 2006 overall sales, making the Japanese auto maker the biggest car maker all over the world. But according to a leading auto industry journal, Reuters reported that many had expected that the surpassing will take place in 2007.
The huge and top Japanese auto maker outstripped GM by nearly 128,000 units last year. The figure was based on a technicality which excludes sales of vehicles at minority-held subsidiaries and this data was written in Detroit-based weekly Automotive News, whose data centre publishes a ranking, which is widely quoted, of the world's automakers around in the present generation every year.
The Automotive News holds the statement published by Crain Communications that in Toyota's success, a little-known Chinese microvan played a vital role.
According to the journal, GM included the seven-seat microvan and other Wuling-brand vehicles engineered by a three-way venture with China's Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC) and Liuzhou Wuling Automobile even though it owns just a small part (less than half) of the company. This was based on the Automotive News' final tally for 2006.
The 420,140 units was credited with a 51 percent-owner SAIC by the Automotive News and this figure represents the venture sold in 2006. As a result, GM had set global sales at 8,679,860 units in 2006, versus 8,808,000 for Toyota.
The Automotive News Data Center includes in its ranking the sales of a subsidiary in the total for the parent company with the majority stake.
GM at present is in the sore of avoiding restructuring but, fortunately, is growing rapidly in China. For 76 years, the car company has claimed the top spot for, including 2006.
In April, Toyota and GM posted the first quarter of 2007 sales figures which revealed that the Japanese automaker was edging past by 90,000 units its U.S. competitor. And since it was the first time ever that GM was surpassed by Toyota as the top auto maker, the news triggered extensive media coverage.
Corresponding with Automotive News' tally, Toyota's sales figures include those at units Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd. On the other hand, GM is composed of a dozen of brands that include Chevrolet, Buick, Opel and Saab.
Even by GM's count after it projected sales of 9.34 million units versus the U.S. giant's forecast for 9.2 million, Toyota is almost certain to take the lead for the entire year of 2007.
About Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation, or simply known as Toyota, is a Japanese multinational corporation and the largest automaker (followed by General Motors) all over the world by sales revenue as of the first sales quarter of 2007. Last year, the company along with its half-owned subsidiary Daihatsu was the world's second largest auto company by revenue, the most profitable auto maker in terms of net income, and the eighth largest company in the world according to revenues.
The company is portion of the Toyota Group and is its biggest company. The brands, divisions and companies of Toyota, Lexus, Scion, and parts of Daihatsu are owned and operated by Toyota. And as a whole, the company has 522 subsidiaries.
Founded in 1937, Toyota was established by Kiichiro Toyoda as a by product of his father's company Toyota Industries to build automobiles.
For 2007, Toyota plans to produce 9.4 million vehicles.
About General Motors Corporation
Also known as GM or GMC, General Motors Corporation is the 2nd (after Toyota) largest car company based on sales revenue as of 2007. Maker of quality cars and their parts, GMC has around 284,000 employees all over the world.
It was founded in 1908, in Flint, Michigan and has global headquarters located at the Renaissance Center in Detroit, Michigan, USA. In Zurich, Switzerland is their European headquarters. This American car maker produces its trucks and cars in 33 countries.
GM cars and trucks are sold under Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Daewoo, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall brands.
GM Parts like and accessories are known in the market under GM Performance Parts, GM Goodwrench and ACDelco brands through GM Service and Parts Operations that supplies GM dealerships and distributors all over the world. The United States is GM's largest national market. This is followed by China, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Germany.
GM is the number 1 automaker when it comes to Strategic Vision's Total Quality Index (TQI).
