Toyota has announced its sales figures for the first half of 2012, and the numbers look like Toyota will be able to beat out GM and Volkswagen in sales for 2012. In the first six months of this year the Japanese automaker sold 4.97 million vehicles. The record shows how the juggernaut is rebounding from last year’s dismal sales, caused by the unintended acceleration publicity nightmare and the tsunami that demolished production capabilities.
General Motors was the world’s largest automaker in 2011, and it plans to release its figures for the first half of 2012 on Aug. 2. The General has already released first quarter sales figures and if the automaker keeps the pace up they will have sold 4.56 million vehicles by mid-year. The predict GM will have reached figures closer to 4.7 million
Volkswagen was the second largest automaker in 2011 and has been a frequently named corporation when the discussion is about the world’s largest automaker. The German automaker’s sales for the first half of the year are at 4.45 million.
General Motors held the coveted title for over seventy years until 2008’s market crash when Toyota took it. Toyota held onto it until 2011 when GM took it back and VW took second place.
Toyota sold 2.49 million vehicles around the world in the first quarter of 2012. This is quite a bit more than the 2.28 million sold by GM. Toyota is expecting to sell 9.58 million vehicles this year. That will be a sales increase of 21 percent over last year. Toyotas’s spokesman, Joichi Tachikawa, was modest in the typical Toyota fashion when discussing the announced figures. “We can only keep trying to make good products that appeal to our customers.”
[Source:Associated Press]
