Thursday, January 28, 2021
The smaller decline in sales wins
Toyota overthrows VW from the throne
In the corona crisis, both the VW Group and long-term rival Toyota suffered a sharp drop in sales, but the Wolfsburg-based company suffered more. Toyota is the world's largest carmaker for the first time in five years and can even record gains in an important market.
The Japanese auto giant Toyota has achieved the top position in global sales for the first time in five years, overtaking its rival Volkswagen. As the Japanese industry leader announced, the group, which also includes the small car specialist Daihatsu and the commercial vehicle manufacturer Hino Motors, sold 9.53 million vehicles worldwide last year.
That is a decrease of 11.3 percent compared to the previous year. However, Toyota felt the effects of the corona pandemic less than other manufacturers. Thanks to a recovery in the two most important markets of China and the USA, Toyota picked up again: vehicle sales have increased again for three months in a row since October. Ore rival VW, on the other hand, had to accept a sales decline of 15.2 percent last year. The Wolfsburg-based company sold around 200,000 fewer cars in 2020 than their Japanese competitors.
In addition to a recovery in China and the USA from autumn onwards, an aggressive sales strategy with a series of new models also contributed to the Toyota Group's sales being solid compared to other corporations last year, it said. The Japanese manufacturer said that Toyota had sold more cars, especially in China: the increase in the People's Republic was over ten percent compared to the previous year.
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