25 Votes

VW Moves Past Toyota And GM To Claim Largest Global Automaker Spot - Is It 2018 Already?

Agent009 submitted on 11/5/2009 Official Bell & Ross Timestamp: 4:16:15 PM

32 user comments | Category: Misc News | Source: | SOURCE: www.spiegel.de

Well, it was quicker and much earlier than expected, and many laughed at the thought when Volkswagen announced that wanted to be the number 1 car maker globally.

Big talk from the typically arrogant Germans, right?

VW intially predicted they would over take Toyota by 2018, but latest research shows by Germany's Spiegel and Reuters are indicating they may have already achieved that with 4.4 million cars sold so far in 2009. In contrast Toyota has sold only 4 million and GM tally is 3.6 million for the same time period.

So is this a blip, or the new world order?

2009 SEMA AUTO SHOW Photo Gallery Now LIVE!

AutoSpies.com Photo Galleries

If you want to see your photos running on our homepage photo ticker, be sure to upload your photos on the go by sending them to Mobile@AutoSpies.com

Share on Facebook

There are photos and then there are AutoSpies.com photos!

AutoSpies.com is ranked number one on Google search for auto shows

The 2009 SEMA Auto Show gallery is sponsored by Lexus.

Read Article

About the Author

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough."
— Agent009 (View Profile)

User Comments

VW, Skoda, SEAT, Audi, Porsche, Bugatti, Bentley, Lamborghini - all of them except Bugatti have more and more sales each year. One of the best-selling brands in China. I'm not surprised!
— OBSERVER1984 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 5:43:02 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

Woohoo, VW acquires 7 company just to equal 1 Toyota,lets go celebrate.

How about if Toyota buys out GM, now lets see who can hang?
— Badgewhore (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 11:43:02 PM | | Votes: 1

Um...well Toyota owns Lexus does it not? Toyota is not just one brand. These sales are included when looking at most vehicles sold.
— Wazz (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 5:49:55 AM | | Votes: 0

Toyota also owns HINO, Daihatsu, Scion, a chunk of Fuji Heavy Industries(Subaru)
— Enforcement (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 8:11:05 PM | | Votes: 1

VW, now too big to fail..
— AgentOrange (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 6:42:00 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2

Hmmm they must be very strong internationally because new vw products around here are a rare sight.
— Joe_Limon (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 6:59:14 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5

really not a surprise when they are still selling 30 years old passat B1.
— ghosthunter (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 8:11:41 PM | | Votes: -3

"really not a surprise when they are still selling 30 years old passat B1"

Where?
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 2:57:07 AM | | Votes: 2

Well, that's interesting.
— TurboSpyder (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 8:03:30 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

PASSED TOYOTA????.... not bad man.. not bad at all
— shabaru (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 8:10:58 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

SWEET, Hyundai and Ford will take 2nd and 3rd spot soon too,

Toyota will be 4th, GM will be 6th Behind either Citroen PSA or FIAT/Chrysler.
— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 8:35:09 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: -7

I hate you so much. I'm glad you are on the internet, because if I really knew a person as stupid and annoying as you, I could not fight the urge to murder such an individual.
— pushrod27 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 8:51:39 PM | | Votes: 5

Better go get psychiatric help before somebody reports you to the FBI. Better yet, just get off the internet if you can't hang, you'll feel much much better instead of like a sore loser.
— Badgewhore (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 11:47:00 PM | | Votes: 2

"I hate you so much".

lol
— kablaam (View Profile)

Posted on 11/5/2009 10:23:07 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5

LMAO, wow. My Anti Hyundai Hate Crew is getting comical with thier antics.

Thanks Badge, I was going to say something but I decided to ignore him.
— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 12:33:44 AM | | Votes: -3

I think you mistake anti "Hyundaismoke" feelings for anti Hyundai feelings. We just don't like you.
— 800over (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 10:00:38 AM | | Votes: 6

I don't care you you Hyundaismoke because you are an extreme hate filled racist!
— Invisible (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 11:14:34 AM | | Votes: 3

Toyota should not care. Just work on quality and reliability which is still above most but down according to Toyota's standards. They will be Number 1 again in no time.

JUGNU
— JUGNU (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 5:49:02 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5

Yep work on those rusting truck frames and evil floormats. Ohh wait they spent all those development dollars on the LAF psudo-supercar. Distraction is the only thing that brings these companies down. Big 3 got distracted by small cars from Japan chased the market and paid for it. Next Toyota took the top spot and quickly developed all kinds of reliability issues and started chasing Ferrari. VW please just stick to your guns and you will be fine. Honestly Toyota needs to stick to the GE business plan build appliances and build them well, do not worry about flair people like your products because they lack flair and have reliability. If you take away reliability nobody will want anything you make.
— rigid (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 8:07:33 AM | | Votes: 0

I'd rather have a quality, reliable vehicle, than the slightly more upscale, more expensive, and high total cost of ownership involved in the other one.

I think this mindset is pretty universal, and Toyota needs to remember why people buy their cars in the first place... it's not the looks or the performance... It's the quality and dependability, something they've said they need to work on.

The #1 spot will come to them naturally, don't force it.
— adamsaf723 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 9:24:26 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 5

Did VW pass Toyota or did Toyota just pass VW the other way? Just like last year when GM fell faster than Toyota.

Just a blip. Toyota is more exposed in N.America unlike VW which only sells in Europe and is slowly losing its China lead.

Autolies probably didn't report this but Toyota made a profit the last quarter.
http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2009/11/05/toyota-earnings-profit.html
— huu76 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 11:03:36 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

If it was positive news about Toyota, then no!
— Invisible (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 11:15:56 AM | | Votes: 2

For now it is a blip. Toyota is strong in North America so when that market recovers then they will gain sales. But with VW being far stronger in China, the lead can extend as China continues to pile on the sales.

It is all about exposure, both good and bad.
— Agent009 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/6/2009 11:26:19 AM | | Votes: -1

another factor is that americans LIKE quality and reliability, while chinese automotive newbies will BUY ANYTHING that's cheap, even if unreliable.

further, in america AND the rest of the world, if things are tight and you're not sure if you'll still have a job next year, you'll likely hang on to your present car. ONLY IF it's virtually falling apart and is costing too much to maintain, would you trade for a new car ANYWAY.

toyota owners universally have the OPTION of hanging on until there's better times. owners of old vws are the 'forced to trade' types.
— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 11/7/2009 3:31:00 AM | | Votes: -1

Yeah I bet everybody hates me, big deal most of you are assholes, period.
— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 11/7/2009 1:58:21 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2

VW is the next GM
— wins555 (View Profile)

Posted on 11/7/2009 9:39:22 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 3

Are you crying?! Please don't cry!
— nvme (View Profile)

Posted on 11/9/2009 1:38:20 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

that was @ hundaismoke
— nvme (View Profile)

Posted on 11/9/2009 1:39:53 AM | | Votes: 1

How can the 2nd most unreliable car overtake Toyota? How many TDI's can they sell? With gas prices and the mileage that the diesels are getting Toyota better make something to compete or they will fall behind VW.
— truckman (View Profile)

Posted on 11/9/2009 4:47:34 AM | reply to this comment | Votes: 2

i think huu76 got the right impression.

it's not so much the vw group blasting past toyota in sales, but the DROP in sales globally has hit toyota more dramatically. so it is TOYOTA passing vw, going DOWN the chart. not surprising, since a big part of vw sales are in china. where the relatively unsophisticated buyers DON'T KNOW about unreliable vws.
— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 11/10/2009 4:41:03 AM | | Votes: 1

this effect was dramatically shown on a chart in the current Economist magazine. with the drop in u.s. car sales, the u.s. market just passed china's, GOING DOWN while chinese sales are still climbing.

i guess this means that china is the #1 market for new car sales now, altho' i don't remember seeing that in the general news.
— XYZZ (View Profile)

Posted on 11/10/2009 4:49:39 AM | | Votes: 1

I dont know Truck, VW is in 10th place in reliability behind KIA, they are improving.
— HyundaiSmoke (View Profile)

Posted on 11/10/2009 11:35:07 PM | reply to this comment | Votes: 1

Add your Comments

Images hosted in your AgentSpace can now be posted in the comments section using the following syntax (case matters): [img]IMAGE URL[/img]
Example: [img]http://agent001.myautospies.com/images/sample.jpg[/img]

Email Me When Someone Replies To My Message

VW Moves Past Toyota And GM To Claim Largest Global Automaker Spot - Is It 2018 Already?

About the Author

User Comments

Add your Comments

Submit an article

Photo Galleries

Cars

Autoshows

Latest Articles