Autoblog

Toyota maintains world's largest automaker crown, GM and VW close behind

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:29:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Plants/Manufacturing, GM, Toyota, Volkswagen

Toyota still holds the title of World's Largest Automaker. The Japanese automaker ceded the claim to General Motors in 2011 following a series of natural and man-made disasters that stifled production in Asia. Production is back up to full speed and, coupled with the introduction of a new Camry midsize sedan, Toyota retook the title in 2012 and has so far been able to keep it by selling 2.43 million vehicles in the first quarter of 2013.

The race is still tight - General Motors reports sales of 2.36 million vehicles, earning it the second spot globally with Volkswagen's 2.27 million sales nabbing the German automaker third place. It's not all smooth sailing for Toyota, either, as the brand's first-quarter figures were down 2.2 percent when compared to last year. GM posted a 3.6-percent gain and VW managed a 5.1-percent gain over the same period.

Sales in China may be a deciding factor as to which automaker performs best in 2013. Toyota's figures were down 13 percent in China. Meanwhile, GM and VW are continuing their upward trajectories in the crucial Chinese market.

As ever, each of the automakers says publicly it doesn't care much about the title. Shino Yamada, a spokesperson for Toyota, told The Washington Post, "Rather than pursuing numbers, we try to sell one car at a time, producing good cars. We aren't focused on being number one." GM spokesperson Jim Cain echoed a similar note, saying, "A day doesn't go by that we don't try to increase our sales all over the world."

Toyota maintains world's largest automaker crown, GM and VW close behind originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 24 Apr 2013 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Audi to spend $17 billion to fight BMW

Michael Harley — Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:30:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Audi, BMW, Earnings/Financials

It's no secret that VW Group, parent company to not only Volkswagen but also Audi, Bugatti, Bentley, Lamborghini, Porsche and Ducati brands sold in the US, is determined to become the world's largest automaker. Even more impressive is that VW is prepared to spend billions to make it happen.

With that comes word that VW Group will be spending $17 billion on its Audi brand over the next three years to push itself above rival BMW. The money will be invested in both vehicle development (including lightweight auto design and alternative powertrains) and facilities (including expansion in Hungary, China and new operations in Mexico). The luxury brand is focused on global manufacturing infrastructure.

Already Europe's best-selling luxury brand, Audi's objective is to overtake BMW by the end of the decade by selling more than two million cars per year (BMW is shooting for 1.54 million sales in 2013). If those objectives are met, VW Group should be on track to be the industry's volume leader by 2018.

Audi to spend $17 billion to fight BMW originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 29 Dec 2012 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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VW puts a number on what being #1 is worth: $86 billion

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

Life ain't easy at the top. And, if you're Volkswagen, struggling to shove past both Toyota and General Motors on your way to becoming the world's largest automaker, it's not cheap, either. Says Martin Winterkorn, CEO of the gigantic conglomerate:

The Volkswagen Group is investing a record amount in forward-looking projects to achieve its goal of becoming the world's best automobile manufacturer... Top of the agenda for us are investments in environmentally friendly, sustainable models and drives.

Just what does "a record amount" equate to? A whopping $86.4 billion dollars (62.4 billion euros). And that doesn't include Volkswagen's two Chinese ventures, which will tack on an additional $19.1 billion (14 billion euros).

VW reckons that money ought to be enough to fund a five-percent sales increase globally in 2011 over 2010's record sum of 7.2 million vehicles, with plenty more expansion over the next five years.

VW puts a number on what being #1 is worth: $86 billion originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM retakes World's Largest Automaker title from Toyota thanks to quake

Zach Bowman — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:31:00 EST

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

Bloomberg is reporting that General Motors has taken back the crown as the world's largest automaker. The Detroit-based company outsold Toyota through the first six months of 2011, thanks largely to the manufacturer's production shortages brought on by this year's earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. GM sold a total of 4.536 million units worldwide through June 30, Volkswagen moved 4.13 million vehicles, while Toyota numbers fell to 3.71 million units. Bloomberg reports that production at the company's Toyota City facility plummeted by 23 percent after a full production stop following the March earthquake.

Even so, Toyota says that it plans to institute an aggressive production recovery period during September, one month ahead of schedule, to help satiate demand. Those efforts still might not be enough to put the Japanese automaker ahead of Volkswagen through the remainder of 2011, however. Analysts say that's due to the simple logistics of delivering vehicles from their production facilities to the dealerships that need them most.

GM retakes World's Largest Automaker title from Toyota thanks to quake originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Global Dominance Shift: VW may have sold more than Toyota in Q1

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:01:00 EST

Filed under: GM, Toyota, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

Over the last several years, few automotive stories have held as much interest as the global fight between Toyota and General Motors for worldwide sales supremacy. Don't look now, but there's a new combatant hailing from Germany ready to take the reigns: Volkswagen. However, VW's ascendancy has less to do with the German automaker's output -- GM and Toyota are shedding sales at a much faster rate than VW.

Toyota - currently the undisputed leader in automotive sales volume - is expected to post about 1.23 million sales in the first quarter of '09, down an amazing 47% from the previous year. Volkswagen's 1.39 million sales represent a much smaller drop of about 11%. We're not yet sure where General Motors will fall in the rankings, but it seems likely to come in third place. What's caused VW's rapid rise in global prominence?

The two largest markets for Toyota are the United States and Japan, and vehicle sales in both countries have been some of the hardest hit by the global economic downturn. In contrast, VeeDub is very strong in Germany, China and Brazil, and, in attempt to boost new car sales, these three countries have recently implemented vehicle scrapping schemes. It's worked, and VW is reaping the rewards.

Of course, if there's one thing that General Motors and Toyota have proven over these last few years, it's that life's not easy at the top. It should prove interesting to see if VW can manage to maintain the market share that it's so recently inherited. Thanks for the tip, Axel!

[Source: Reuters]

Global Dominance Shift: VW may have sold more than Toyota in Q1 originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 17 Apr 2009 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No Dispute: Toyota displaces GM as world's largest automaker

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:58:00 EST

Filed under: GM, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Quick: Who is the world's largest automaker? General Motors or Toyota? Last year, the two brands were in a statistical dead heat after sales for all of 2007 were tallied, and debates raged as to which one of the two global giants had outsold the other. This year, there's no argument. The winner of the 2008 sales crown was Toyota by over 600,000 units (exact figures are due a bit later). This is quite an accomplishment for the Japanese automaker and reinforces the fact that GM's sales have been in decline for the last couple of decades after crushing all competitors and reigning as the worldwide leader in auto sales for 77 years. Still, the mood is hardly one of jubilation at Toyota as the rise to the top has not been without sacrifice. The automaker has lost both money and market share over the last few months, and the outlook for 2009 isn't shaping up to be much better.

[Source: CNN]

No Dispute: Toyota displaces GM as world's largest automaker originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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