2011 car sales ranking: Toyota fell into the world sales boss

With the release of 2011 sales figures by Japan's eight major auto makers on January 27, the world's auto sales rankings were officially released in 2011. For the third consecutive year, Toyota Motor Corp. (which includes Daihatsu Motors and Hino Motors, etc.) had the world's top sales volume. Its sales volume in 2011 decreased by 5.6% from the previous year to only 7.95 million units, which was the third highest. U.S. General Motors recaptured the championship with sales of 9.03 million vehicles; the runner-up sold German automakers with 8.16 million vehicles. Although the Renault-Nissan Alliance sold 7.39 million vehicles in 2011, temporarily ranking fourth, but if we add Russia’s Volga Automobile Company, which will soon acquire management rights, Renault-Nissan Alliance’s sales will reach 8.03 million, which will exceed Toyota’s. Hyundai Motor Co., Ltd. has been catching up with the sales increase of 14.8% to 6.59 million vehicles, ranking fifth.

Japan’s strong earthquake on March 11 last year and the disruption of parts supply network caused by floods in Thailand in the second half of the year have reduced the output of Japan's eight major auto makers in Japan by 7.97 million units, a decrease of 13.4%. In addition, the continuous appreciation of the yen has also had a serious impact on the export of Japanese cars. At the same time, U.S. General Motors and Volkswagen Volkswagen have continued to consolidate their sales position in some emerging market countries in China and South America.

In 2012, Toyota’s outlook is also not optimistic. Toyota will resume its production system in 2012, make full use of the Japanese government’s eco-car subsidies policy, and make full-force counterattacks by strengthening the sales of new hybrid vehicles. However, the expansion of GM and the general public has continued unabated. At the same time, Nissan also placed its sales focus on emerging market countries by adopting measures such as transferring the production of the small car "Ma Chi" to Thailand. Nissan’s sales in China reached a record high of 1.25 million in 2011, a 21.9% increase over the previous year, ranking first among Japanese cars. If Nissan continues to consolidate and expand sales in the Chinese market, the Renault-Nissan alliance may even aspire to 2012 World Motors. Top sales.

The fifth-placed Hyundai Motor also poses a threat to Toyota. The depreciation of the Korean won has greatly promoted the export of Korean cars. Many people began to think that the Korean cars have also surpassed Japanese cars in terms of quality and design. The original evaluation of Japanese cars as "cheaper and superior" has slowly shifted to Korean cars. .

At present, Toyota has set a target of 3 million domestic production, and both Nissan Motors and Honda Motors will maintain the target of 1 million domestic production. However, according to the analysis of the “Yomiuri Shimbun”, Japanese auto makers may find it difficult to continue to maintain current domestic production due to the continuous appreciation of the yen and higher labor costs, together with GM’s “resurrection” and the drastic pursuit of Korean cars. status quo.

Merrill Lynch Japan Securities analyst Takashi Nakajima believes that in this context, "Toyota sales will continue to remain in the third position."