General Motors, after reining as the 77 years as the world’s largest automaker, has lost its title after 2008 sales figures have stalled.
GM’s sales had put the automaker in second place behind that of Toyota. GM sales in 2008 were 8.36 million vehicles, while Toyota sold 8.97 million vehicles.
After losing its long-held title, GM realizes that the future will
be long and arduous, and sales within its core market, North America,
have declined dramatically, and show no sign of improving any time
soon. For GM dealers like Detroit Chevrolet dealers,
they too realize the road ahead will hold plenty of challenges. In
addition, GM’s sales marked the first point since 1982 that annual
sales have fallen below 10 million vehicles, making this a historic
decline for the automaker.
Auto sales in the U.S. have plummeted as demand for new cars have weakened along with the economy. Aside from consumer sales, Hartford Chevrolet dealers
have also noted that fleet sales and the rental car business have also
suffered in recent months. Based on these numbers, it’s also expected
that GM, Chrysler, and Ford may also be reducing production further.
The federal stimulus packages from the government are increasingly
seen as vital lifelines to keep the automakers, including GM, afloat.
Even Los Angeles Ford dealers
see federal aid as a vital component to keeping the domestic auto
industry alive. However, despite poor sales in the vital North American
and European markets, GM did see sales gains in developing regions in
Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Despite sales
declines in Toyota sales as well, it was no surprise that Toyota was
able to rise above GM this year.
Joe Kent is a writer for TK Carsites, an automotive website design and marketing firm in Orange, CA, that specializes in working with car dealers nationwide.
