[sujaylahiri]

Volkswagen may have sold more cars in the first quarter of 2009 than Toyota, although that is mostly due to a 47% drop in Toyota's sales over last year. VW only experienced an 11% drop in sales.

Toyota's dismal sales were mostly due to the shrinking markets in the US and Japan, which are its largest consumers. While VW's sales were helped by Germany's "cash for clunkers" program and also having most of their market base in Asian, Latin American and European countries.

Hence, the new big 3 should be:

1. Volkswagen
2. Toyota
3. General Motors

Check out this link here:
UPDATE 3-Volkswagen may oust Toyota as world leader | Reuters

[amit]

No wonder Skoda have been behaving the way they are in India

[muneemmk]

Is this just a tall claim or is this for real ?

[muralisk]

This is real and not a tall claim. I did read this on CNBC - US website (Volkswagen May Overtake Toyota as Top Auto Seller - Companies * Asia * News * Story - CNBC.com) and I am sure this is quite authentic. Both in the US and Europe, VW Jeeta and Passat are one of the best selling cars and it would be my choice as well.

[Raja]

One point is that the articles say 'MAY' become worlds number one, while the thread title says 'IS' worlds number one.
The title should be edited until final figures are in?

[IronWolf]

Originally Posted by sujaylahiri

Volkswagen may have sold more cars in the first quarter of 2009 than Toyota, although that is mostly due to a 47% drop in Toyota's sales over last year. VW only experienced an 11% drop in sales.

More than the fact that VW is on top of the table. I am more interested to know what models / regions in the Toyota camp failed them so badly.

47%? woah!

[zaks]

Originally Posted by IronWolf

More than the fact that VW is on top of the table. I am more interested to know what models / regions in the Toyota camp failed them so badly.

47%? woah!

.. means Toyota is nearly twice as big, except for the statistics

[sujaylahiri]

More than the fact that VW is on top of the table. I am more interested to know what models / regions in the Toyota camp failed them so badly.

I'd assume it's the large vehicle segment like full sized pick-ups and SUVs. I've heard that even their large sedans like the Avalon have been slow sellers of late.

Originally Posted by Raja

One point is that the articles say 'MAY' become worlds number one, while the thread title says 'IS' worlds number one.
The title should be edited until final figures are in?

The thread title and the accompanying article is an accounting estimate based on the number of sales last year and the projected drop in sales this year, and has usually been pretty accurate in the past. The actual numbers based on invoices etc. come out much later and are pretty close to the current estimates.

I used "IS" instead of "MAYBE" in the thread title as the first quarter is currently over and VW should be the no. 1 automaker right now according to the articles.

[ACM]

Markets are getting resized worldwide. The size of the market last year does not matter today.

Also with the possiblity of some big companies going under they may be lapped up by one of the other not so large but profitable companies, moving them up the ladder.

Toyota's to a certain extent have ended up becoming the most premium among the Jap cars (for reliablility etc.) but that would affect market share in times like these when upfront VFM is what most buyers are looking for.

We can expect to see a very different set of global car rankings in a years time.

[ajmat]

If it was not for China, the figures would be something else

[vasudeva]

Originally Posted by sujaylahiri

Volkswagen may have sold more cars in the first quarter of 2009 than Toyota, although that is mostly due to a 47% drop in Toyota's sales over last year. VW only experienced an 11% drop in sales.

Perhaps this will show something different:

IHS Global Insight // Same-Day Analysis

It says`...Although, as IHS Global Insight predicted (see Germany: 17 April 2009: VW Could Overtake Toyota as World's Number One Carmaker in Q1—Report) VW did not get close to overtaking its Japanese rival, it did close the gap in volume terms very significantly. Toyota posted first quarter sales of 1.77 million units, which was a 27% y/y decline on the figure recorded last year. This meant that the gap between the two manufacturers in volume terms in the first quarter shrank by almost half-a-million units to 363,000 units, as opposed to 840,000 units in the equivalent period last year. The other top three global OEM, General Motors (GM), has yet to post first-quarter sales results, although its sales data are likely to make for grim reading as a result of its relative dependence on the beleaguered U.S. market.'