GM passes Toyota as world’s largest automaker in first half of 2011, VW comes in second

General Motors outsold Toyota globally during the first 6 months of 2011 to become the world’s largest automaker. Of course, the March 11 earthquake in Japan is to blame for much of Toyota’s loss, but GM’s sales were nothing less than stellar.

The Detroit automaker’s sales were up 8.9 percent to 4.536 million units during the first half of 2011 (period ending June 30).

Volkswagen came in second with 4.13 million units and Toyota came in third with 3.71 million units (including Lexus and affiliates Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd.)

Following the March earthquake, Toyota’s output fell 23 percent to 3.37 million units in the half-year after the company halted production.

Wondering how Hyundai is doing? The Korean automaker’s sales jumped 11 percent to 1.96 million units – making it the fastest growing automaker in the United States.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News