Toyota passes GM global and VW closes quickly

By Paul Lienert and Christiaan Hetzner, Reuters
General Motors co. in the first half of the year, with the Volkswagen AG poised move past GM and the U.S. automaker in third place for the full year won Toyota Motor Corp. the lead in worldwide car sales on.

The larger question is how quickly the German auto giant also Toyota passes and the global sales Crown to secure - an internal target, the VW management for 2018 as part of the company has set up the so-called strategy 18.

VW in a cautious statement released Thursday, said: "the Volkswagen Group is on the right track for 2018, but has not yet crossed the finish line." For us, quality takes precedence over quantity. We want not the largest, but rather to be the best and the most sustainable car manufacturers in the world. "Our eco-friendly products and satisfied customers and employees are at least as important as sales ranking and profitability."

It must be to maneuver Toyota intelligent has recovered from the effects of last year's earthquake and tsunami in Japan behind a resurgence. Toyota in February said he expected that a record to sell shattering the old mark of 9,3700 million in the year 2007 9,5800 million vehicles worldwide in 2012.

Toyota had instead of the global sales Crown from 2008 to 2010, before the natural disasters in Japan it was the third place behind GM and VW last year.

"We have recovered strongly from earthquakes and tsunami," said Javier Moreno, a spokesman for New York Toyota North America. "Our dealers have now much inventory and showroom traffic is on a global basis."

Toyota said that it a substantial increase of the 3,720 million sold worldwide 4,970 million vehicles in the first six months, which sold it last year, when all Japanese automakers from the earthquake aftermath were reeling.

GM said it sold 4,670 million vehicles in the first half, 3.0 percent from 4,540 million in the previous year. GM was global performance by record sales in the first half of the year in China, driven, that world is now more than 30 percent of the automaker. The US market is where GM sales grow much more slowly, only 28 per cent of the total turnover of the company.

GM spokesman James Cain said on Wednesday: "we continue to grow our sales and parts of China..." "We are in the early days of the most aggressive roll out new products in our history, which helps us our advantage in the United States and China press and grow profitably around the world."

VW, released in one to the middle of the year business report said Thursday that sales in the first half of 4,640 million, 12.4 percent of 4,130 million last year amounted to. But the German auto giant before recently sports car manufacturer Porsche a diversified portfolio of brands, which also heavy truck manufacturer MAN and Scania added to sound one note of restraint.

"Deliveries of the Volkswagen Group developed very well in the first half of the year," Chief Sales Christian Klingler told reporters this month. "But this is by no means cause for euphoria." "The economic situation, in particular in Western Europe, remains tense and difficult".

Klingler added: "We remain on the line and entering the second half (of the) year, which will be altogether more difficult with confidence."

A renewed focus on the American market is part of the VW long range plan for the global sales by more than 10 million units by 2018, with the United States a contribution of at least 10 percent of that volume boost.

Tom Libby, senior auto analyst at Southfield, Michigan-based r.l. Polk, said VW management "very aggressive, with the United States play an important role has been in its global growth strategy." "Become more competitive on prices here, and we expect that their sales and share will continue to rise."

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.