Toyota ends GM's Seven-Decade-old supremacy

1930 was the last time when we heard any name other than General Motors as the highest dealer of automobiles globally. Ford incidentally took the credit that year for the last time for the preceding year saw GM establishing a supremacy, which would go from strength to strength in the next seven decades.

katsuaki watanabe toyotas president 59

Whatever rises has to fall this is what the law of gravity states and sardonically this notion portends in every occurrence of verve. GM saw the heights for seven decades, but there was one automaker threatening to dethrone GM and that was the Japanese giant, Toyota.

The threatening rival in the end took the throne in an anticipated or rather in a much more assured manner and GM has no one to censure but themselves. Negligence to quality, edgy labor relations, unfavorable dogmatic decisions and a tardiness to identify the impending small car market were the primary reasons, which ousted the once impregnable GM.

The Japanese brand took over GM for the first time in global vehicle sales. While GM registered an overall sale of 2.26 million vehicles in the first quarter of 2007, Toyota registered 2.35 million units sold in the same period establishing it as the world leader and simultaneously unseating GM after a period of seven decades.

Interestingly, Japan was dented after the World War II but it was Uncle Sam itself that helped them at the time of the Korea War, which gave impetus to the development of technology in Japan and the rise of Toyota as a Global auto giant is attributed to this event of history.

Who has GM go to blame; their own blemishes or the support that their very own government provided to the Japanese in the crunch hour. GM may well take refuge by choosing the latter but we all know, what exactly has been the reason of ruination of the American Giant!

Image : New York Times

Credit : Winding Road