Toyota unseats General Motors from US sales throne

Detroit-based giant is outclassed nationally for the first time since 1931

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The automotive world is changing at breakneck speed in the United States. Not only is it the irruption in the market of a power like Tesla and its electrical models, but the gradual loss of power and presence of the Big Three from Detroit -General Motors, Ford y DaimlerChrysler- in favor of foreign brands. The fact that Toyota has surpassed General Motors as the top seller in the US is the most significant proof.

Both brands presented results on Tuesday that confirm the leadership of the Japanese brand at the forefront of the second automotive market in the world after the Chinese giant. In total, Toyota sold 2.3 million vehicles in the US, 114,000 more than GM, at the top of the table since 1931. He has held the throne for almost 100 years.

Toyota has managed to move from fourth place in 2005 to overtake the Big Three, a triple entente that controlled 57% of the market then and has now dwindled to 38%, with the added threat from Tesla and the new startups power plants backed by Silicon Valley capital.

That was in a pandemic year where Toyota performed unevenly. Their numbers for the last quarter suffered a 30% decrease compared to 2020, although GM’s were even worse at 43% each. Even so, from the brand founded in Flint, Michigan, in 1908, they assure that it is a temporary descent and that they will regain the throne shortly. They blame the downturn on logistical bottlenecks that led to a shortage of microchips and other parts of the production chain.

“The semiconductor shortage, among other things, created an unprecedented set of circumstances in 2021,” the company said in a statement. “Still, GM expanded its leadership in full-size pickup trucks and SUVs. And 2022 begins with a gradually improving supply chain, and that should lead to growth in 2022 as we launch several new vehicles, including electric and commercial vehicles. redesigned pickups “.

Your bet goes through the conversion of your fleet to electric models, a transition in which they have invested hundreds of millions of dollars, including plans to start up four battery factories in the US. Toyota, however, has been more reluctant to join the trend and appears to be at a disadvantage. On their menu, only the Mirai is offered as an electric model in the US, a hydrogen-fueled vehicle that has not caught on in this market.