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Toyota looks to knock GM from its longtime perch

The company logo gleams off the grille of an unsold Solara outside a Toyota dealership in the southeast Denver suburb of Centennial, Colorado, on Sunday. PHOTO: AP

General Motors Corp (GM) could be knocked from its longtime perch as the world's biggest automaker, if production estimates from Toyota Motor Corp for last year hold true.

GM said on Thursday it made 9.284 million vehicles worldwide last year, roughly 226,000 fewer than Toyota's production estimate of 9.51 million.

Toyota expects to have final numbers later this month, but issued the estimate on Dec. 25 with just six days left in the year.

The real prize, the worldwide auto sales lead, also must still be determined, with both companies to release last year's global sales figures later this month.

GM chairman and chief executive Rick Wagoner said on Thursday in an Internet chat with journalists that the companies are in a race to be the top vehicle maker.

"As I recall, we lead in 13 of the 15 largest markets, but Toyota has a huge lead in Japan," Wagoner said. "We're staying focused on our plan. Great cars, smart marketing, growth in the emerging markets. And hopefully that will keep us on top. If not, we'll come back to work the next day and work even harder."

GM said its production figures included several joint ventures worldwide, including one with Toyota in California and ventures in Russia and China. Toyota's estimates include its Daihatsu small car and Hino truck operations.

GM has seen huge production growth outside of North America, offsetting a decline on its home turf.

In 2002, for example, GM's Asia-Pacific unit produced 307,000 vehicles, but that grew to 2.23 million last year. North American production fell from 5.64 million in 2002 to 4.27 million last year, figures posted on the company's Web site showed.

GM predicted nearly flat production worldwide in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, saying it expects to build about 2.29 million vehicles. The Detroit automaker has not given a forecast for the number of vehicles it expects to produce or sell for the full year.

Aaron Bragman, an auto analyst with the consulting firm Global Insight in Troy, Michigan, said GM probably will not be able to reclaim the lead until North American auto markets, particularly the US, recover from a slump.

"North America really is their big story in terms of where the gap is," Bragman said. "They're growing everywhere else, just about."
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