Autoblog

GM outsold VW globally in first quarter, Toyota reports numbers next week

Michael Harley — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:03:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, GM, Toyota, Volkswagen

General Motors released its first quarter sales figures this week, reporting that it sold 2.36 million cars and trucks worldwide. That figure represents an increase of 3.6 percent when compared to the same period last year. GM's growth was attributed to many factors, including global Cadillac sales that were up 26 percent and Chevrolet posting a one percent increase over last year (this marked Chevy's tenth straight year of record global sales).

Volkswagen came in just behind GM, as the German automaker reported global sales from January through March at 2.27 million vehicles, an increase of five percent when compared to last year. While that number was strong, VW is cautioning that markets outside China and the US, such as those in Europe, are becoming a challenge as economies falter.

Yet to report sales is Toyota, current holder of the global world sales crown (the Japanese company sold 9.75 million cars last year, against 9.29 million sold by GM and 9.1 million vehicles sold by VW). Even though GM and Toyota both say they don't care who sells the most units, it is unquestionably a strong bragging point and sales equate to revenue. That said, Toyota will report its first quarter numbers next week.

GM outsold VW globally in first quarter, Toyota reports numbers next week originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 18 Apr 2013 16:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM appoints new global chief of Cadillac who's already talking sports cars

George Kennedy — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:30:00 EST

Filed under: Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Cadillac, Luxury

General Motors has created the new position of global vice president for Cadillac. Stepping into that
new role is GM senior executive and top lobbyist Robert E. Ferguson, who will oversee global growth and development of the luxury brand.

Ferguson is responsible for marketing, brand management and advertising for Cadillac around the world and is also expected to be responsible for sales in the new year. He will report directly to CEO Dan Akerson, who said of Ferguson, "The Cadillac brand will hit a higher gear under his watch."

Ferguson is taking on his new role at a critical time for Cadillac. The American luxury brand is rolling out the ATS and XTS, and word is that a new flagship model is on the way.

"I'm excited to join a talented team during a period of revitalized growth," said Ferguson of this expansion, "The opportunity to strengthen and grow Cadillac is ours for the taking." According to The Detroit News, Ferguson has said the brand needs a flagship model, and has even hinted at a two-seat roadster. Ferguson said, "We're looking at a flagship model now. It would be a car that everyone looks at and says, 'wow, Cadillac is smoking.'"

Before coming on at GM in 2010, Ferguson was a senior strategist at Public Strategies, a business advisory and strategic communications firm. His senior executive role will be filled by Selim Bingol, who will also serve as chairman of the GM Foundation, reporting directly to Akerson.

It should be noted that both Ferguson and Bingol served stints in executive positions at AT&T. Ferguson's time there was prior to his Public Strategies position, while Bingol came over in March of 2010, directly from the telecommunications company. Both men held positions at AT&T during times of unprecedented growth. Bingol and Ferguson are both former AT&T colleagues of former GM CEO, Ed Whitacre.

Answering directly to Ferguson are U.S. VP of Cadillac marketing Don Butler, and U.S. VP of Cadillac sales Chase Hawkins. Ferguson will assume his new role immediately.

Continue reading GM appoints new global chief of Cadillac who's already talking sports cars

GM appoints new global chief of Cadillac who's already talking sports cars originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Oct 2012 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota takes title of World's Largest Automaker... again, for now

Jonathon Ramsey — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:58:00 EST

Filed under: Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Now that the title of world's largest maker has become a clear and eager battle, we can expect more regular updates on the progress of the combatants. Bloomberg reports that Toyota snagged the #1 crown in Q1, taking it away from General Motors with 2.49 million units sold across its five brands compared to 2.28 million for GM. Volkswagen was just another tenth down at 2.19 million units sold.

What all three might appreciate even more than the crown - except for VW, who is monomaniacal about the No. 1 tag - is that sales volumes and profitability are up, at least in America. Toyota's sales rebound from the catastrophes of last year (and indeed, the last few years) is being underlined by its performance here, where the Prius Plug-In is the third-best seller against a background of the nation's best car sales market in five years. Even with double its usual fleet sales in Q1, Toyota expects this financial year's profits to double.

The year isn't over yet and it remains close, but for now it looks like there'll be good news for everyone. Well, until 2016, when Volkswagen is predicted to vanquish all challengers at the top of the podium, two years ahead of its own ridiculously ambitious schedule.

Toyota takes title of World's Largest Automaker... again, for now originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 11 May 2012 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM retakes global sales crown with over 9M units shifted in 2011

Jeff Sabatini — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:29:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM, Earnings/Financials

Look who's back on top again? 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."

But it's certainly good for bragging rights and positive morale. As they say in sports, "scoreboard, baby." To read GM's full press release, click past the jump.

Continue reading GM retakes global sales crown with over 9M units shifted in 2011

GM retakes global sales crown with over 9M units shifted in 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 19 Jan 2012 16:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Volkswagen overtakes Ford in global sales

Chris Shunk — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: Ford, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

Ford and Volkswagen have been traveling in different directions of late, with VW posting record earnings while Ford is losing cash by the billions. VW's momentum doesn't stop with cold, hard cash, either. The German automaker's first half year sales rose 7.2% to 3.31m, while Ford posted a free-fall of 11% to 3.09m. That gives team Fahrvergnugen a lead of 220,000 units in the first half of the year -- a very sizable margin. Part of the reason VW has been able to pass Ford is that the German automaker doesn't rely heavily on US sales, while the land of opportunity is Ford's largest market. VW also has a larger stake in the quickly expanding Chinese market, where Ford is still ramping up in the land of the Great Wall. Since the Blue Oval depends on the US for much of its sales, the second half of the year isn't looking much batter than the first half. Even with gas prices starting to retreat, analysts predict sales will continue to underwhelm for the duration of 2008.

[Source: Free Press]

Volkswagen overtakes Ford in global sales originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here we go again: Toyota sells more cars worldwide in first half than GM

Chris Shunk — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:22:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, GM, Toyota

The seesaw battle between GM and Toyota for the title of world's largest automaker is still being waged, and after tallying up global sales for the first half of the year, Toyota has opened up a pretty big lead. The Japanese automaker totaled 4.82m units told, with GM trailing with sales of 4.54m cars and trucks. While Toyota's sales are impressive, they're still off the pace of the 9.85m units the automaker expects to sell throughout 2008. The US and Japan have been the source of Toyota's pain this year, as both markets are in a downturn. In spite of record sales in Asia, Latin America, and Europe, GM had a 3% sales decline in the first half of the year. The entire problem rests solely with the General's performance at home, where sales are down a staggering 16% for the year. The news isn't expected to get much better in the States, as last month was the worst June in 17 years, and sales don't look any more promising in July.

While both GM and Toyota have been shrugging off talk of global sales battles, we're inclined to believe selling the most vehicles on the planet is important to both automakers. And since GM has held the sales lead for 77 years, the Detroit automaker won't feel good if it loses its title. Down nearly 300k units through June, though, it'd almost take a miracle for the General to come out on top in 2008.

[Source: Reuters]

Here we go again: Toyota sells more cars worldwide in first half than GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota cuts global sales target to 9.5M vehicles

Chris Shunk — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:57:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Toyota

If there was ever any doubt that the auto industry is in a very rough patch, today's news from Toyota should erase any doubt. A Japanese newspaper is reporting that the automotive juggernaut has unofficially revised its 2008 sales forecast from an ambitious 9.85m vehicles to a still blistering 9.5m units. Not only is the high price of gas and a dismal U.S. market contributing to Toyota's woes, it's also seeing slower than anticipated sales in Japan and Europe. The news comes a month after Toyota announced U.S. cuts of its trucks and SUVs. Helping to mitigate the sales decline are the white hot emerging markets of Russia, China, and India, where Toyota is doing very well.

While Toyota hasn't officially stated that it would be revising its sales projections downward, this isn't the first time we've heard a dip could occur. The news isn't all bad for Toyota, as reaching 9.5m units would still be the most Toyota has produced in one calendar year. Toyota is expected to officially announce changes to its global sales projections by the end of July.

[Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)]

Toyota cuts global sales target to 9.5M vehicles originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM, Ford doing well in China, despite slow sales at home

Michael Harley — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: China, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, GM, Earnings/Financials

While domestic sales continue to slide, the auto market in China is thriving. Both General Motors and Ford have reported double-digit sales growth for the first-half of 2008 in the world's most populace country, with GM moving 590,126 Buick, Chevrolet, and Cadillac vehicles for a total sales increase of 12.7 percent, while Ford sold 172,411 units for 21 percent jump in growth. With China recognized as the second-largest vehicle market outside the United States, and with their economy forecasted to grow by at least nine percent this year, automakers in Europe, Japan, and the U.S. are investing heavily to expand sales and production in the Chinese market. It is worth noting that vehicle sales in China have been nearly immune to the increase in global oil prices as governmental controls keep diesel and gasoline prices among the world's lowest.

[Source: Detroit News]

GM, Ford doing well in China, despite slow sales at home originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toyota isn't that far behind GM

John Neff — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 11:06:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, GM, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

In response to our By The Numbers: July 2006 post, a few commenters noted how far behind Toyota was behind General Motors in terms of monthly sales in the U.S. Toyota sold 241,826 units while GM sold more than twice that at 410,332 units. From appearances it seemed GM's dominant seat in sales was secure to some.

When talking about which automaker is the biggest in the world, however, global sales must be taken into account. The editors at Drive.com.au, an Australian website with perhaps a little more perspective than some of us, noted that in the first seven months of 2006, General Motors has sold 4.6 million cars worldwide while Toyota has moved 4.32 million. Clearly the gap is not that large... and it's shrinking. In Australia, for instance, Toyota is some 30,000 units ahead of GM's Holden brand in year-to-date sales.

While Toyota did sell more vehicles in the U.S. during the month of July than Ford by a narrow margin, it's still third in sales behind the Big 2 for the first seven months of 2006. Perhaps of greater concern to the Big 2 and Chrysler is that Toyota has been the only one of the four to actually increase its sales volume in 2006.

Toyota believes it may pass GM in worldwide sales by 2008, and some are saying that it will happen as soon as next year. Time will tell, but it's clear that GM won't relinquish its mantle without a fight.

[Source: Drive.com.au]

Toyota isn't that far behind GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 04 Aug 2006 11:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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