Now that GM has released its Q1 data, let’s have a look at the race for the top spot, world’s largest auto maker. We are counting global deliveries only, not production. Even with “deliveries” there is room for interpretation. Deliveries to customers? Or cars dumped on dealer lots? We’ll never know. All we know is:
We can say with confidence that based on published first quarter 2010 global numbers, Volkswagen Group took 3rd with 1.73m units delivered. GM Group is in 2nd place with 1.99m units sold. Toyota Group holds the top spot with 2.31m units sold.
Of course, there is a lot of creative bookkeeping in these numbers, especially in China. GM’s footnote says: “Ownership of 34% in SGMW and 50% in FAW-GM, under the joint venture agreements, allows for significant rights as a member as well as the contractual right to report SGMW and FAW-GM production volume in China.” Volkswagen and Toyota do the same, so we leave it to them to duke it out.
Ford only reports production numbers, but with 1.32m units produced worldwide in Q1, they are not a factor in the race for the top spot.
The race between the top three will remain interesting throughout the year. The race will be decided in China. With GM outperforming the Chinese market, and with Volkswagen under-performing, true red, white, and blue supporters of GM will have to do something very alien to most of them: Pray for a strong Chinese market.
I thought we settled this ‘deliveries’ vs. ‘sales’ meme 2 years ago when GM stopped Truck production and the ‘deliveries’ for that month weren’t zero.
Good for VW and GM, two good companies.
Toyota can wither and die and we’d all be better off.
I know of 1200 or so people 6 miles down the road that would be far worse off if Toyota were gone. They are currently building engines and transmissions for a variety of Toyota plants in the US. Toyota also kept these people working 40hrs/week through the worst of 2008 and 2009. Then there is the supplier no more than 1 mile from my house that sells 30% of their IG coils to Toyota. I ride mountain bikes with 2 engineers that work there.
Feel free to show how all these people in my local community would be better off with no Toyota.
I know 15 folks that used to work at New Process Gear. They all lost there jobs because people keep buying Toyotas from the dealer down the street instead of support there own so I would agree that Toyota can wither and die. There arrogance, cavalier attitude towards other countries lives beside themselves, lying through there teeth about problems there junk cars have had for years, poor quality control ranging from rotted Tundra/Tacoma frames(I see them all the time behind Steet Toyota, monthly recalls, sub standard interior quality, engine sludging, hideous styling, putting sales numbers before human life and quality and so many other issues I could write a book.
If those 1200 people in your community stopped buying Toyota and bought something from here then we wouldn’t have had to close down several plants and dealerships making that a moot point. Do you think for one second that those people working for Toyota will have jobs the momment there profits start eroding again like last year? I wouldn’t buy a stinking dog from that company!
I know 15 folks that used to work at New Process Gear. They all lost there jobs because people keep buying Toyotas from the dealer down the street instead of support there own so I would agree that Toyota can wither and die
What’s important is “buy local”, not “buy non-Toyota”.
Sure, if NPG is a large employer in your town, there’s a definite incentive to buy whatever products that NPG’s stuff ends up in. Buying a domestic that’s assembled in Korea or Belgium does nothing, because the bulk every dollar you spend on a car is cost, and the cost in question is mostly parts and labour.
The trick is keeping your money in “local orbit”. For some people, myself included**, some of Toyota’s products fit that description.
The problem is when your local economy is tied to a product that no one, including you, wants to buy. If your local NPG plant was making parts for, say, Chrysler Sebrings, Chevy Tahoes or suchlike, you can’t exactly fault people for buying Corollas and Camries; nor can you blame them if, even were Toyota to disappear, people bough Hondas and Hyundais instead and NPG stayed shuttered.
You can’t blame people for buying apples and oranges when all you can grow is kumquat.
I have this problem with GM: I’m pretty close to GM Oshawa, and I work for a supplier, but there’s nothing they make that really “works” for me***. So I’ll probably buy a Matrix if I’m shopping for another car: it’s still reasonably local, and certainly worth more to my economy than a Cobalt or HHR would be.
You have to find the balance between buying something that keeps money in your local economy, and also fits your needs.
** For reference, I live in Ontario, where we assemble the following: Civic, Corolla/Matrix, RAV/4, Lexus RX, Acura MDX, ZDX & CSX, Flex/MKT, Edge/MKX, Crown Vic/Grand Marquis, 300/Charger/Challenger, Carvan/T&C/Routan, Equinox/Terrain/XL-7, Impala, Camaro and (soon) the Regal.
*** I have some hopes for a Regal five-door. I’d also like a pony.
First of all, Toyota alone didn’t cause the closing of your local gear factory. Nissan, Ford, Hyundai, Honda, etc didn’t contribute? Even if Toyota were gone, do you honestly think that those buyers would have gone to GM or Chrysler products instead of Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, etc?
Secondly, you couldn’t write a book because you can’t refrain from flying off the handle into a belligerent rant (not good for clearly conveying your message), haven’t mastered the there/their/they’re usage (again, not good), and your logic to support your claims is flat-out ridiculous (I said 1200 workers, not buyers and since when would 1200 buyers make a difference?).
Thirdly, what evidence do you have to support that they’d lay off workers? I’d say, considering the fact that they kept people working 40hrs/week through the worst of 08/09, it would be a pretty good bet that they’d do the same again.
I agree with the statement
“What’s important is “buy local”, not “buy non-Toyota”.”
That is why I bought a Focus last year as opposed to a Fusion.
“Toyota can wither and die and we’d all be better off.”
This stupid, uncharitable, inaccurate and plain idiotic comment says more about the person who made it than it does about Toyota.
“I wouldn’t buy a stinking dog from that company!”
Like wise with this one.
Who’s on first? You can count all the numbers you want, however, the main problems are still unresolved. You can cut employees and benefits, over work the existing staff, show short term profits, and yet as of this date nothing has been corrected in the product quality area. I am still getting reports of mechanical problems, disgruntled customers, and the likely hood that they will not be re buying GM ever.
+3 (The number of friends who traded their Government Motors vehicles for others this past month.
GM fans are a dying breed. Have been for decades.
5 years ago it would have pissed this diehard, koolaid IV carrying GM lifer off to no end that people were no longer buying the brand I so firmly stood by and cared about.
3 miserable purchases later and I STILL!!!! wonder what took me so long to do the same.
“I wouldn’t buy a stinking dog from that company!”
If Toyota sold stinking dogs, they’d probably be more reliable than Volkswagen and GM’s stinking dogs.
I’ll be here all week!
Hey a Toyota stinking dog, I’ll bet ya he could run like f—,of course, getting him to stop might be a bit of a problem.
As opposed to a GM or Volkswagen stinking dog, where starting it may be a problem.
Oh no I didn’t! :0)
mikey: Hey a Toyota stinking dog, I’ll bet ya he could run like f—,of course, getting him to stop might be a bit of a problem.
VW has a higher UAI (unintended acceleration incident) rate than Toyota in 2009.
Mikey and friends dislike Asian makers in general because they are non Union, if they where Unionized, there would be no compliant after all Brothers and Sisters count no matter what!
Asian car makers are unionized at home. But they moved to non-union production outside of home. Just like the US car makers did for parts. I hope you don’t consider unions in Mexico to be for real now?
If I recall–though I ought to leave it to him to defend himself—mikey has been pretty egalitarian about things like Toyotas’ plants in Cambridge and Woodstock, and refreshingly pragmatic about GM in Canada.
For the record, I agree with him for the same reasons: I’d rather prefer to see my local economy not collapse, thank you very much.
I’ve yet to see the kind of blind, pro-Union stance among TTAC’s few union members that they’re occasionally accused of. I do see some petty, anti-Union bitterness (though not as much, nor as foolish, as what you see at Audoblog) and a heck of a lot of Union scapegoating where, truthfully, corporate leadership truly owns the responsibility.
This holds true in the “real world” as well, from my experience with unions. The only true vapid pro-Union silliness seems to be confined to Union leadership. Much of the rank-and-file is actually pretty pragmatic, which is entirely understandable.
This “brotherhood” nonsense pretty much starts and stops with Union leadership. I’ve never heard mikey or anyone on TTAC say anything quite so silly.
Thanks psarhjinian. I coudn’t agree with you more. The Toyota and Honda plants are certainly helping our Ontario economy.
Yes, I would like to see them unionized,but the plant workers have a different view. I accept thier decision. Why pay union dues,when you enjoy the same benifits and wages as your union brethren?
Would I buy a Toyota? Not a chance.Not because thier non union. For that matter,I wouldn’t buy a Ford either{though I get a twitch every time I drive by the local Ford dealer with the sweetest all black Mustang rag,on his front row}
GM paid/pays for the roof over my head,the food on my table,and the clothes on my back. I buy and support GM,always have and always will.
It’s almost amusing how people are ready to jump at each others throats over car choices. Assuming this is a free country, and that foreign car makers have been allowed to sell here, people are free to buy whatever they want. When the government allowed Toyota to sell cars here they didn’t warn them to not be number one.
Besides when someone spends their own money buying a car, its entirely upto them if they want to buy unreliable cars or reliable ones. So either we accept that all the people who buy Japanese cars again and again are really stupid, or just let them make their choice and not rant about it.
I had no idea Toyota has pulled that far ahead. Maybe the negative press won’t hurt Toyota that much since they are the new GM.