Last year, a Japanese company took the crown of the best-selling carmaker in the US. This is big news because the US automotive market has never had a non-American carmaker at the top, ever! In 2021, Toyota somehow managed to make history by selling the most cars in the US.
General Motors (GM) had been the highest car seller in the US since 1931. Toyota beat the US champion after 90 years of its reign. It was a close call between 2,218,228 GM sales and 2,332,262 Toyota sales.
How did Toyota pull this off?
For the US automotive industry, 2021 was all about production hiccups. The global semiconductor chip crisis took down carmakers, one after the other. GM, Ford, Nissan, BMW, even Toyota had to cut down production.
Toyota managed through the production challenges better than its competitors, thanks to its stockpile of semiconductor chips. The Japanese auto giant sensed the crisis early on and loaded up on chips and other key parts. The stockpile helped the company produce and sell more vehicles than GM and Ford.
A Toyota spokesperson said, “Toyota is grateful to our loyal customers for their trust in the brand. Being number one is never a focus or priority. The company’s focus has always been—and will continue to be—on being the best brand in terms of safety and quality in customers’ minds.”
General Motors ready to win the title back!
While Toyota is enjoying its newly earned reputation, GM is playing it cool. The company knows this change is short-lived and isn’t afraid to say it out loud. A GM spokesperson said, “I wouldn’t rush out if I were [Toyota] and get a ‘We’re No. 1’ tattoo”.
GM has big plans for 2022, such as the launch of electric Hummer. The company wants to strengthen its EV presence in the market and reclaim the top spot. But, Toyota should get credit for taking advantage of the industry’s most challenging year and making history.
