Toyota Becomes Top-Selling Automaker In US, Leaves General Motors Behind

San Francisco: For the first time since 1931, Detroit-based General Motors has lost the crown of the top-selling automaker in the US, handing over the baton to Japanese giant Toyota Motor, as automakers stare at acute chip shortage and supply chain constraints.Also Read – Eicher Motors To Call-in 26,300 Classic 350 Bikes Due To Rear Drum Brake Issue

General Motors and its dealers delivered 2.2 million vehicles in 2021, with Chevrolet and GMC cementing the company’s eighth consecutive year of combined full-size and midsize pickup sales leadership. Also Read – Toyota To Halt Operations Of Six Plants In Japan, To Operate Only Five Days In December

GM said that its total sales were down about 13 per cent (year over year) because of semiconductor supply chain issues. Toyota, by comparison, said it sold 2.3 million vehicles in the US last year, up by 10.4 per cent compared to 2020, reports CNBC. Also Read – OLA Launches Its EV Scooter S1 And S1 Pro: All You Need To Know, From Features to Price | Watch Video

“The difference in sales between the two automakers was 114,034 vehicles,” the report said late on Tuesday. It also marks the first time a non-domestic automaker has taken the top spot in the US.

“Toyota was able to manage supply chain issues better, allowing it to take away GM’s throne for the first time in 90 years,” the report said. The key constraint for sales continues to be reduced inventory levels as a result of the semiconductor shortage, according to GM.

“Those inventory levels are beginning to recover against a backdrop of strong fundamental demand conditions, with ample job openings, high household savings and low interest rates,” said Elaine Buckberg, GM chief economist.

According to Steve Carlisle, GM executive vice president and president, GM North America, in 2022, “We plan to take advantage of the strong economy and anticipated improved semiconductor supplies to grow our sales and share”.