Toyota: An Automaker Wired To Win?

There are milestones — and then there are ground-shifting, era-smashing milestones. And word Tuesday that Toyota dislodged General Motors as the world's biggest seller of cars and trucks for the first time ever (at least on a quarterly basis) is no ordinary bit of business news.

It has been expected, on an annual basis at least. GM is clearly in retrenchment mode and confronts a massive retiree pension and health-care tab the likes of which doesn't burden Toyota. GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner has vowed repeatedly that his company has no intention of ceding industry leadership to Toyota, and perhaps his team at the Renaissance Center in Detroit can somehow rekindle the company's competitive zest and stage a miraculous comeback.

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paul3230 - 4/30/2007 11:50:09 AM

+6 Boost

Congrats to Toyota for their accomplishment. However, I think GM will not go quitely..looks for an all out slugfest between these two this year

Johnel - 4/30/2007 6:50:42 PM

+3 Boost

Toyota dislodging GM is the best thing that happened to GM.

For 8 decades GM was at the top and got too comfortable. Being 2nd now is their wake up call, and I believe Lutz and Wagoner have completed their first step by removing all those bean counters and slicing all those layers of bureaucracy.

Since Lutz arrival we have seen some interesting concepts, with the Camaro and G8's being the first to hit the show rooms soon. Saturn dvision seems to be aggressively counter attacking with its Opel based cars, Next wave are the Holden based rear wheel drives for the upcoming G8 and Impala.

I've test driven the new crossover GMC Acadia and it feel nice and tight with its all independent suspension. The interior quality was quite good, though a V8 would be a welcome option, IMHO.

GM needs to get rid of the so called performance Pontiac divison. Chevrolet can handle the performance divison quite well on its own due to its various racing catagories they're involved in with it Halo car the Corvette and its little brother Camaro.

Buick should also go, no need for that division to exsist.

All in all it will be exciting to see what GM will do.