Toyota is America’s leading auto sales company for the first time, snatching the title to General Motors that had held this achievement for nearly a century.
This is a sign that American automakers have lost their dominance in the domestic market.
In 2005, Toyota ranked fourth in sales in the US, while GM, Ford and the then known as DaimlerChrysler were in the top three. These last three had the 57% of the country’s sales at that time.
However, in 2021, GM, Ford and Stellantis, the European automaker that owns Chrysler, had only the 38% of the US market. Adding in the trendy auto company Tesla only brings US automakers to slightly more than 40% of sales.
Both Toyota and GM reported year-end sales today Tuesday. Reports indicated that GM had 2.2 million cars sold in America for the full year 2021 , what made it stay 114, 000 vehicles –or 5% – behind Toyota .
On the other hand, GM was slightly behind Toyota in second-quarter sales, but was far behind in the third quarter. And while Toyota’s fourth-quarter sales fell by 30% compared to the last three months of 2020, GM sales plummeted a 43%, this allowed Toyota to increase its leadership.
The cause of the drop in sales at the end Last year was a shortage of computer chips, which limited the production and supply of vehicles. Industry-wide sales in the United States are forecast to fall by 24% in the fourth trimester. Most automakers will report US sales on Tuesday, with Ford reporting on Wednesday.
According to Experts say it is uncertain whether Toyota will be able to maintain US sales leadership in the coming years. “ I would not expect Toyota to necessarily maintain this leadership. They (GM) just have more channels to sell and more brands, ”said Jessica Caldwell, CEO of automotive information company Edmunds.
In its report on Tuesday, the GM company suggested that it expects to be back in the first place of sales in the US soon.
“The semiconductor shortage, among other things, created an unprecedented set of circumstances in 2021. Still, GM extended its leadership in full-size pickup trucks and SUVs. And 2022 starts with a gradually improving supply chain, and that should lead to growth in 2022 as we launch several new vehicles , including electric vehicles and redesigned pickup trucks.”