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How Toyota Dethroned GM as the Number One Automaker in the United States

So if that chart is correct then General Motors, when you combine GMC and Chevrolet already totals 1,969,589 vehicles. When you add in Cadillac and Buick, they sold 2,218,228 so they were close. That chart doesn't show Lexus which probably makes up the rest of Toyota sales.
 
The " I had this make/model car/truck for X years and X miles, and it's a great vehicle, so all of them are great" mentality is BS. If that's the case, Chevrolet makes the best vehicles on the planet based on my experience with one. And Ford makes the longest-lasting vehicles based on one I had that ran like a clock over 300k miles & going strong when I gave it away.
 
Toyota still builds and sells CARS. GM wants to sell only TRUCKS.
The problems with the cylinder management systems in GM V8s have been around since 2007 and they haven't fixed it yet they continue to use it. They even renamed it rather than fix it or do away with it.
Need a car to transport PEOPLE? GM, Ford and to an extent Stellantis-not Chrysler, it doesn't exist- don't make cars. They gave that market away to the Japanese and Korean automakers.
 
...but if you count "SUV"s as "station wagons", like I do.....
 
GM wants to sell only TRUCKS
And have you seen the latest generation of Chevy trucks? Uuuuugly. Would not be caught driving one. Buicks always had something cool in there lineup. Not now, you get a little lump, a medium lump or a large lump.
Then back to Chevy SUV they decided to revive a name from the past. Following Ford's reintroduction of the Bronco (resembles the cool first gen not the OJ style) GMs answer " take the medium lump and put Blazer badging on it" talk about absolutely no effort at all.
I have not even touched on engineering or reliability. Only thing I will say in that regard is if someone wants to sell you a newer GM small SUV with a 4 cylinder, run don't walk away, because it's a ticking the bomb with who knows how much time left.
I would not buy a Toyota because that is way to much$$$ for a appliance. If I'm spending that much money it better talk to me.
I also walk to work so that commuting does not factor in.
 
I maintain that the reputation earned by US automakers during the late 70's through the early 90's is still the main reason most people perceive Japanese and other foreign cars as "better".
Your the closest on here so far... But what got the Japan cars into Mainstream America were the gas shortages during 74 and 77.... People panicked at the .60 price per gallon of gas, and fuel efficient Pinto's or Vega's did not work...
Honda's were a year waiting list... Still not sure why, I went in some friends and drove a new one at the dealers as my EX wife wanted one.... I thought and still think they are a boxy little turd car......
 
Well now that the price of gas is through the roof lets see how many more big *** Suburbans and Expeditions they'll sell. Hopefully this gas crisis will slow down the driving because here in NY traffic is a nightmare almost 24 hours a day. I love seeing the women driving those Suburbans. Back in 1980 I had to order my Civic and had to wait almost 6 months to get it. Best car I ever owned with 205,000 miles and stolen twice. Don't these politicians think this gas crisis is a major problem with everything.
 
Well now that the price of gas is through the roof lets see how many more big *** Suburbans and Expeditions they'll sell. Hopefully this gas crisis will slow down the driving because here in NY traffic is a nightmare almost 24 hours a day. I love seeing the women driving those Suburbans. Back in 1980 I had to order my Civic and had to wait almost 6 months to get it. Best car I ever owned with 205,000 miles and stolen twice. Don't these politicians think this gas crisis is a major problem with everything.
In my opinion, traffic is a nightmare everywhere.... I don't understand what people think when you have MORE people moving in to your area or MORE people in the United States, you have MORE people on the road....
You should see the gridlock in Florida.... Many of my friends, who are native Floridians, are leaving ONLY because of how crowded the roads are....
 
I have owned, or worked on countless cars from GM, Mopar, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Subaru, Mazda, Volkswagen, and Kia. I have had infinitely better luck with Japanese and Korean cars over American cars.

Although American car quality has improved since the "late 70's to early 90's", (they really had no where to go but up), the quality of Japanese cars has also improved. Japanese cars are "perceived better" for a reason.... they are better.
 
Toyota fortunately if you own one
& are Pro-American/America 1st, made here
fewer products/parts are used that come from outside the US
than the big 3
, either/all of Ford, Govt. Motors, Stellantis/CDRJ
(yes Toyota mothership/company is in Japan, product sold here is built & produced here)
It's more 'American-made', than all the 'American-owned' auto companies...

Of all the Japanese owned companies,
I'd & have own/ed a Toyota over any of the others...

Had great luck with them...

I haven't owned one for 23 years now,
since I bought my 99 Dakota SLT 4x4 V8, "love that lil' truck"
I sold my 97 Buick LeSabre Limited/loaded, I inherited from my Granddad
12k miles, & sold my 85 Toyota SR5 4x4 22R (EFI 1st year) on it's 2nd engine
(1st 389k miles) trans & rear end more than 500,000 miles in total,
both my girls/twins drove thru school & I used when I had to leave it
in extended stay Airport parking lots or haul garbage to the dumps etc...
A great lil' truck, I owned for 14 years, sold it for $3,500 (could have got more)
I combined the 2 sells
& I bought my Dakota 1,900 miles 'Owners dealer demo'/new 7/70 warranty
& I also currently own a 02 F-350 4x4 PS 5 speed Diesel Dually, since new too
I wouldn't recommend to anyone...
yes it serves 'it's purpose' as a tow rig, but it's costly to own...

(I owned a 98 Dakota R/T prior, bought new in Nov. 97, great truck too)

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Toyota,
if I couldn't find a Dodge/Ram or Jeep to my likings...

My girls all love 4x4s, 2 of the 3 own Toyota Tacomas 4x4s
their husbands all drive Rams...
 
...but if you count "SUV"s as "station wagons", like I do.....
Try getting a disabled or elderly person into one of those "station wagons". They can get into vehicles that are at their level. Those "station wagons" sit too high for them to climb into.
 
You should see the gridlock in Florida.... Many of my friends, who are native Floridians, are leaving ONLY because of how crowded the roads are....
And I thought it was because of all the new yorkers moving down there !
 
Kia if the engine doesn’t cease up are decent cars for the money. Some times they just burst into flames too.
I've seem reports of the engine problems, and wondered why. The 2.0 Turbo and 2.4 Theta engines are pretty much the same as Chrysler's 2.4 - they, along with Mitsubishi all worked on the design together as a 'World Engine'. And although Chrysler has since bought out the other two companies' share in the engine, Mitsubishi and Hyundai/Kia still have the rights to manufacture them. I haven't seen the same reliability complaints for Chrysler 2.4 powered vehicles.
 
A fellow I worked with up here in NY moved to Naples FL. and I just spoke to him last week and he also complained about the traffic down there. Here on Long Island they did away with Shoreham, nuclear power plant, because they said if an accident occurred there no getting off the Island. just try getting off at any time and you'll be going nowhere fast. The problem is every vacant lot has been developed either into multi unit condo's or million dollar homes. Last night at 8:30 PM took me 1 1/2 hours to go 50 miles, so frustrating.
 
I had two new chebbie trucks in the past. I paid dear for them and they both were huge POS I will never own another. If I won one or was given one I would sell it immediately. I'll buy another Ram or a Ford any day.
Having said that we just gave our Toyota highlander hybrid to our oldest son. It has 200k miles and run as well now as it did new. The doors are just as solid when they close, no air leaks, no water leaks, uses no oil between service
I'll never see a gm product do that
 
For the first time ever, a foreign car company became the number one automaker in America in 2021. Toyota outsold General Motors, which had been the top-selling carmaker since 1931. Toyota sold 2.3 million vehicles in 2021, increasing their sales by 10% from 2020; at GM, sales dropped by 13% from 2020.

One of the contributing factors to the end of GM’s reign atop the car market was issues in the supply chain that led to semiconductor chip shortages. Here’s what happened over the year that led to Toyota’s ascension to the number one carmaker in the U.S. — and implications the company’s strategy has for the auto market in the future.

The Auto Market in 2021

Many industries have been disrupted as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the auto industry was no different. However, some experts see pandemic-related supply chain issues as a detour for the long-term changes taking place across the auto industry.

Consumer demand for electric cars is one trend shifting the dynamic of the auto market. Many companies are spending billions to design battery-powered cars and the manufacturing plants that can produce these models. Most automakers are a long way off from competing with Tesla, but nevertheless, have prioritized spending with this goal in mind.

Toyota’s Prius, a hybrid vehicle, is the dominant model in this category, though Toyota is considered behind in the race to launch a fully-electric car. GM, on the other hand, was forced to suspend its manufacturing of the Chevrolet Bolt, its main electric vehicle, because of a battery issue.

Gaining market share in the electric vehicle category was among the top priorities for both GM and Toyota until the pandemic started. But COVID-19 changed the dynamic significantly, causing a semiconductor chip shortage that reverberated for automakers worldwide.

Causes of the Semiconductor Chip Shortage

There were a number of factors that contributed to the semiconductor chip shortage. First, demand spiked for cars following the pandemic, an unexpected outcome for which many automakers were not prepared. This was followed by a series of unfortunate events that few could have predicted.

“A freak cold snap in Texas in February shut down factories at top chipmakers. Drought in Taiwan around the same time threatened to dry up the island’s semiconductor supplies (since chipmaking requires pools of water to wash away industrial chemicals),” wrote Fortune. “Then, in March, a fire tore through a factory at Japan’s Renesas — a key chip supplier for the industry.”

Ultimately, this forced GM, Ford, and European carmakers to slash production dramatically. By one estimate, the global car market lost about 4% of total sales in 2021 — roughly $110 billion in revenue.

Toyota, however, was less impacted than GM and other carmakers. This was because the brand learned from the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, during which the company struggled for about six months to recover. To prevent future downtime, Toyota designed a new strategy.

“The automaker came up with a list of about 1,500 parts it deemed necessary to secure alternatives for or to stockpile. The company also put in place an intricate system to monitor the vast network of suppliers that produce those items—and the smaller companies those suppliers buy materials from—to develop an early-warning system for shortages,” reported Bloomberg.

This strategy allowed Toyota to stabilize production and carefully manage its supply chains, ultimately beating out GM for the top spot in 2021.

The Future for Toyota and GM

Though Toyota may be on top for the moment, the company itself doesn’t expect to dominate for long. “Yes, we did surpass General Motors in sales,” said Jack Hollis, Toyota North America’s senior vice president of automotive operations. “But to be clear, that is not our goal, nor do we see it as sustainable.”

As the global economy and supply chain recovers, GM is likely to turn its attention back to fixing the flaws of its electric vehicle. The company has announced its goal to produce only electric vehicles by 2035. If anything, GM’s sales results in 2021 prove that GM should focus not only on creating new technology but also on shoring up supplies of the technology it needs for its existing products.
Hot topic.
Toyota assembles vehicles in the US.
Many an American is dependant on
their weekly pay checks.
The ultimate top line reverts back
to the brand name country of origin.
Japan is laughing all the way to the
bank. They do build a somewhat
quality product.
 
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