In the United States, Toyota brings General Motors off its pedestal, unprecedented in 90 years

It had not happened once in 90 years for General Motors, which has been number one in vehicle sales in the United States since 1931, when it passed Ford never to descend from its pedestal again. Until this year 2021, when the Japanese manufacturer Toyota achieves the feat of taking the first step of the podium, managing for the first time to sell more cars, pick-ups and trucks than the American giant.

And it is once again the chronic lack of semiconductors and electronic components that has appeared since the pandemic that is singled out. This shortage, due to the disruption not only of production tools but also of supply chains, has affected the production of automotive groups around the world since the start of the year. In the fourth quarter, sales of Toyota itself were slumped by 28%. But GM’s were even more catastrophic, plunging 43%.

Sales for the year 2021: Toyota + 10%, GM -13%

On the other hand, over the whole of 2021, Toyota saw its sales increase by + 10%, to 2.3 million units, while those of General Motors remained negative at -13%, with 2, 2 million units sold.

Toyota had modest triumphs:

“Being number one has never been a goal or a priority,” said senior vice president Jack Hollis, while expressing the automaker’s “gratitude” to its customers.

Ford, the other American car giant, is expected to release its figures tomorrow, while Stellantis, the parent company of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Maserati will publish his own during the day.

Toyota’s “remarkable achievement” but GM has long-term advantages

“There is no doubt that this is a remarkable achievement for Toyota, but it is probably not a sign of long-term change,” said Jessica Caldwell of specialist firm Edmunds in a note. .

According to the specialist, General Motors has big advantages in its domestic market, such as much wider vehicle ranges offering consumers a much greater choice, particularly in the highly sought-after segments in the United States of SUVs and of course. pick-ups.

“GM has the advantage of having more brands and products to choose from, including pickups and SUVs, the popularity of which has only grown over the years,” she said.

If GM knows how to generate strong margins, Toyota has better managed its supply chain

In addition, the margins of these categories of vehicles are generally higher, and they must have further inflated with the increase in selling prices: according to Edmunds, the group sold its vehicles at an average price of 48,396 dollars between January and November. 2021, i.e. 11% more than in 2020, and 25% more than in 2016.

But the secret of the success of the Japanese manufacturer, once again the world’s number one car manufacturer in 2020 ahead of Volkswagen, is to have been able to manage the shortage of semiconductors much better than other manufacturers in the first part of the year, thanks in particular to his in-depth knowledge of its supply chains.

(with AFP and Reuters)