Big news, bigger sales: Toyota outsold GM during the first three months of 2007
As you can see from our categories list over to the right, GM and Toyota are the top two automakers we write about most often here on AutoblogGreen (as time goes by, the numbers will change, so I'll note them here for future readers: GM = 231, Toyota = 267) and that slight lead by Toyota is a hint of the big news from Toyota today: the Japanese automaker has, for the first time, outsold GM. The numbers are 2.35 million for Toyota, 2.26 million for GM. Those millions are the number of cars sold in the first three months of 2007.
If we based our understanding of this shift in the global auto market (GM's been in the lead for decades) on the news we read here on AutoblogGreen, then it'd be tempting to say it's because of Toyota's longstanding focus on emissions and fuel economy that's helped them move to the top of the leader board. The New York Times seems to agree, saying today that Toyota has "built a reputation for technological leadership as well, most notably with the Prius and other hybrid cars," which contributed to their gains. But an auto analyst interviewed on the BBC show The World (Jay Nagley) said this morning that Toyota's green image is mostly a US thing. Their production of quality cars, though, and the company's resulting popularity is a global phenomenon.
[Source: BBC, New York Times]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Murc 10:27PM (4/24/2007)
"it'd be tempting to say it's because of Toyota's longstanding focus on emissions and fuel economy "
Yeah, it must be that, cause it sure isn't quality.
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Nils 5:16AM (4/25/2007)
Murc, you obviously never had a look under the hood of a Toyota.
I have to agree, overhere in Europe it's definitely quality that makes them so popular and the fact they're giving a 5 year warranty. I don't see GM doing that, ever, it would be corporate suicide. You see, people think "cool, everytime it breaks down, for 5 years, toyota will pay the bill" and they end up with a car that doesn't break down... nice eh?
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Howard Lee Harkness 10:27AM (5/02/2007)
I have owned automobiles by GM and Ford (as well as some imports). I just replaced a Ford Ranger with a Toyota Tacoma. The 4-cylinder Tacoma gets better gas mileage AND more horsepower than the larger 6-cylinder Ranger engine. The interior is definitely less flimsy than the Ranger's, too. It even has a smoother ride.
I have driven it about 5000 miles so far, and I like it far better than any GM or Ford vehicle I have ever owned.
It will do until an EV comes along that fits my needs. I expect that to happen sometime in the next 5 years. Or, when the engine in the Tacoma wears out, I might do an EV conversion.
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