GM vs. Toyota

The final tally for global auto sales shows that General Motors just edged out hard-charging Toyota in 2007 by a whisker.

GM sold 9.369 million vehicles and Toyota sold 9.366 million, a difference of 3,000 cars.

GM is in the midst of revamping its operations and offerings, pouring money into smaller vehicles and a variety of alternative engines, from hybrids to hydrogen powered to electronic.

Looking ahead 10 years, what do you think the GM/Toyota balance will be?

-- Grove Potter 

Comments

[Mark]

The new fuel economy standard will change the way vehicles are marketed in this country. I know that Hybrids are hyped as the next best thing, but a change in battery technology would make them obsolete in the future. I know that GM is working on hybrids, plug ins and the like. It also has the Malibu which may save the company, a lot rests on that car. We will see.

[BuffaloSoldier]

Toyota all the way. They will inevitably out sell GM. The are the better car company. Toyota outpaces GM with ingenuity, quality and pricing. Sounds like a winner to me.

[Tom]

I think Toyota will have a hard time. They obviously build better vechicles that last alot longer than the average. So the current owners don't need to replace their cars as frequently thus lower repeat sales.

We have 3 Toyotas and our Camry is a '96 with 192,000 miles on it. We have yet to do any repairs to it at all. Everything is still all original, and we only do the reccommended maintenance. And that goes for all 3 of the cars. We have spent so little money on these cars, and then I see my parents paying a couple thousand each year fixing their Chevys. And theirs are only 5 years old.

[Tom]

I think Toyota will have a hard time. They obviously build better vechicles that last alot longer than the average. So the current owners don't need to replace their cars as frequently thus lower repeat sales.

We have 3 Toyotas and our Camry is a '96 with 192,000 miles on it. We have yet to do any repairs to it at all. Everything is still all original, and we only do the reccommended maintenance. And that goes for all 3 of the cars. We have spent so little money on these cars, and then I see my parents paying a couple thousand each year fixing their Chevys. And theirs are only 5 years old.

[-Marlon]

Oh Cereberus, yet again you harken us mortals back to the days to the underworld....

[Brian]

GM has been around longer, they'll prevail. They always do. We have 6 Chevrolets. One '85 cavalier 250,000, '83 Scottsdale 300,000. Not a problem with any of them. The rest are all with in 5 years of each other. No problems. Never owned any thing else and never will. It makes me angry that people dont care and forget where they live. I wonder why America's Dollar is so crappy. You have Japanese lovers who love pouring their money into other countries. Hybrids are a waste of time. You pay 5,000 more for one and its takes 5 years to get your moneys worth. By then you sell it for a new car. People open your eyes and look what these Japanese companies are doing to you. Im not saying just by GM, buy anything American. Keep the money in your neighborhood. I believe if you drive anything other than American, you are ignorant and selfish. I believe in capitalism, but you need Nationalism.

[VP of Scratching Dauch's Left ---]

As long as GM, Ford, etc cough AAM, keep slashing workers wages and cutting jobs, the Toyota's, Hyundia's, cough Kia's of the world will keep increasing market share. It ain't rocket science guys...

[Mark Fetter]

Hey Brian, should we buy foreign cars made in America by American workers, or GM's made in Canada or Mexico. Open your mind other cultures you pig, you probably live in a home filled with foreign goods, like your computer or tv.

Plus if your willing to keep a car for 20 years, why wouldn't someone buying a hybrid do the same??? Thats a large amount of savings then!!

[TBay]

I think GM could potentially slip to 2nd place for 2008. If they do, it'll only be slightly because they have several new best-sellers like the G8, Acadia, and the new Malibu to keep them close to Toyota in sales. Plus, GM keeps selling record numbers in all other parts of the world so this should keep them very close to Toyota (whether Toyota's numbers are behind or in front of them). Come 2010/2011, GM (if they're not number 1) should rocket past Toyota with the brand new Chevy Volt! Toyota hasn't announced any strong competitors to the Volt and if GM continues with it's portfolio of alternative fuels, they'll secure the lead. For a while.

[markwffa]

I think gm will evuntally beat toyota because they make better cars, suvs, and trucks and toyota has no answer for the malibu and a supra has nothing on the corvette