Toyota reached a milestone recently when it hit 200 million in sales after nearly 77 years. Now Toyota has another reason to cheer. According to a report by Bloomberg, Toyota has surpassed automotive giants General Motors and Volkswagen in terms of sales numbers for the first six months of 2012.
If it maintains this pace, it might reclaim the world’s top selling automaker title. Toyota was the largest global automaker back in 2008 before the title was reclaimed by General Motors.
Toyota has sold 4.9 million units so far this year which is 300,000 units more than GM and 520,000 more than Volkswagen. While Toyota has enjoyed success in markets like North America and Japan, GM and VW have struggled partly due to the ongoing economic crisis in Europe.
Toyota wasn’t disaster free rebounding from lost production due to a tsunami in Japan and flooding in Thailand.
“Toyota has bounced back stronger than expected. We are now at the critical mid-year point in the race, and given Toyota’s lead, it will be very difficult for GM to catch Toyota,” commented Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting for LMC Automotive in Troy, Michigan, through an e-mail to Bloomberg.
However Rebecca Lindland, an industry analyst with IHS Automotive warned that the progress might weaken in the coming months.
“Keep in mind Toyota’s sales may be stronger in the first half of 2012 than the second half because they are still recovering from the impact of the tsunami last year and re- stocking dealerships, pulling in consumers who may have waited. But that positive impact will trail off as the year progresses,” She said in an email to Bloomberg.
Toyota’s sales figures include the Hino and Daihatsu models, while GM’s includes the Wuling brand in China. Volkswagen has several brands under its belt, including Audi and Lamborghini, but excludes Porsche as its acquisition will be complete next month.
If it maintains this pace, it might reclaim the world’s top selling automaker title. Toyota was the largest global automaker back in 2008 before the title was reclaimed by General Motors.
Toyota has sold 4.9 million units so far this year which is 300,000 units more than GM and 520,000 more than Volkswagen. While Toyota has enjoyed success in markets like North America and Japan, GM and VW have struggled partly due to the ongoing economic crisis in Europe.
Toyota wasn’t disaster free rebounding from lost production due to a tsunami in Japan and flooding in Thailand.
“Toyota has bounced back stronger than expected. We are now at the critical mid-year point in the race, and given Toyota’s lead, it will be very difficult for GM to catch Toyota,” commented Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting for LMC Automotive in Troy, Michigan, through an e-mail to Bloomberg.
However Rebecca Lindland, an industry analyst with IHS Automotive warned that the progress might weaken in the coming months.
“Keep in mind Toyota’s sales may be stronger in the first half of 2012 than the second half because they are still recovering from the impact of the tsunami last year and re- stocking dealerships, pulling in consumers who may have waited. But that positive impact will trail off as the year progresses,” She said in an email to Bloomberg.
Toyota’s sales figures include the Hino and Daihatsu models, while GM’s includes the Wuling brand in China. Volkswagen has several brands under its belt, including Audi and Lamborghini, but excludes Porsche as its acquisition will be complete next month.
