Toyota has overtaken General Motors (GM) as the top-selling automaker in the USA in 2021, making it the first foreign company to lead the US vehicle market.
GM has led the US market since it overtook Ford in the early 1930s, with brands such as Buick, Chevrolet, GMC and Cadillac. But last year the Detroit-based automaker struggled more than most with supply chain issues, particularly the global shortage of semiconductors which caused a series of plant shutdowns and record low vehicle inventories.
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Toyota also announced huge cuts in global output in 2021, particularly in the second half of the year, due to the semiconductor shortage but was better able to better manage its US operations – bringing to an end GM’s 90-year reign.
Toyota Motor North America reported a 10.4% increase in US sales volumes to 2,332,262 units in 2021, to claim a 19.3% share of the US light vehicle market. The automaker’s US sales included 583,697 vehicles with electrified powertrains – mainly hybrids. Key models included the Camry, Highlander, RAV4, Sienna, Tacoma and Lexus NX.
Meanwhile, GM reported a 13% decline in US sales to 2,202,600 units, while Stellantis’s sales were down by just over 2% at 1,785,009 units.
Total light vehicle sales in the country rose by 3% to to 14.9 million units last year.
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By GlobalData
