Autoblog

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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