Toyota Motor Corporation is once again the world’s best-selling car brand in 2021. The Japanese car company has claimed the best-selling crown for two years in a row after securing the top spot in the sales race in 2020. This also means that Toyota managed to beat the Volkswagen Group for the second straight year.
Japanese automaker Toyota came out strong in 2021
A 10.1 percent sales improvement was posted from 2020 to 2021, translating to 10.5 million units sold. Part of this feat is the contribution brought by the company’s two Japanese marques including Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd. Daihatsu is responsible for manufacturing small cars, while Hino delivers commercial vehicles (CVs).
In comparison to Volkswagen Group which sold 8.88 million units in 2021, Toyota Motor Corporation has widened the lead over its European rival. Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini, and Porsche are some of the automakers that helped the German multinational car manufacturer bag the silver medal last year.
Toyota's production will reportedly slow down this year
One can suggest that the pandemic played a role in the battle between the two said giant automotive companies. Considering that lockdowns happen more frequently in Europe in the last two years, the Volkswagen Group took a toll on production including the shortage of semiconductor chips and workforce.
But in 2022, Toyota Motor Corporation announced that it suspended operations in its plants in Japan due to the rising COVID-19. As a result, the target of selling 700,000 units in February 2022 has been reduced massively by around 78.6 percent (150,000 units). Moreover, the company expects to fall short of its projected nine million units produced for the fiscal year ending on March 31, 2022.
The Vios lived another year at the top
Here in the Philippines, Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) should still be the best-selling car company once official sales reports are posted considering its impressive sales performance reported in October 2021. The top three models of TMP in the 2021 sales ranking include the Vios with 35,095 units sold, Hilux with 18,969 units sold, and Wigo with 17,491 units sold.
Catch the latest auto sales report at Philkotse.com.