World 6 months 2013: Toyota still #1 automaker, but just

The new generation Corolla could help Toyota retain its worldwide crown in 2013…

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Over the first half of 2013, Toyota just announced it sold 4.911 million vehicles worldwide, down 1.1% year on year but enough to keep the Japanese automaker in pole position worldwide. The drop is due mainly to a weaker Japanese market after subsidies for eco-friendly cars ended. General Motors is a close second, up a shiny 4% year-on-year to 4.84 million cars and light trucks.

…while General Motors new generation pick-ups could help it nudge past Toyota.

In fact over the 2nd quarter of 2013 General Motors was the top selling automakers for the first time since Q4 2011 thanks to 2.49 million vehicles sold vs. 2.48 for Toyota… Volkswagen takes the third spot worldwide halfway through 2013 with 4.7 million vehicles, up a fantastic 5.5% year-on-year. With sales of MAN and Scania, VW’s figure should go up to 4.81 million.

Meanwhile Volkswagen will benefit from a Golf 7 now in full gear.

The race will be very tight over the second half of the year to determine 2013’s worldwide best-selling automaker, with General Motors making big progress in China and regaining some market share in the US thanks to the new generation of their light pick-up truck series, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra.

For reference, Toyota was the world’s best-selling automaker from 2008 to 2010, dropped to #3 below General Motors and Volkswagen in 2011 due to Japan and Thailand natural disaster-related supply issues and a quality perception drop after a series of recalls, but regained its title in 2012.

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