Toyota outsells GM in the US, ending 90 years of dominance by Detroit’s largest carmaker
- GM’s sales yumbled 43 per cent in the fourth quarter, shrinking 13 per cent in 2021
- While GM’s sales fell for the year, Toyota, Honda Motor and Nissan Motor posted gains
Toyota Motor grabbed the US sales crown from General Motors, swiping an honor that the Detroit automaker has held since Herbert Hoover was president.
Navigating the squeeze has been a nightmare for the auto industry, and especially for US carmakers. While GM’s sales fell for the year, Toyota, Honda Motor and Nissan Motor posted gains.
Toyota may not be No. 1 -- the spot GM had occupied beginning in 1931 -- for long.
“We see it as not sustainable,” Jack Hollis, the company’s senior vice president of automotive operations, said without elaborating Tuesday at a briefing for reporters.
GM agreed. Steve Carlisle, the carmaker’s president for North America, said the company will increase sales this year. Most major automakers reported fourth-quarter US sales on Tuesday, with Stellantis, which owns the Jeep and Ram brands, posting full-year sales down 2 per cent and an 18 per cent drop in the last quarter. Ford Motor is expected to release its figures Wednesday.