Toyota predicts '08 sales will top GM's record

Japanese automaker, stoking rivalry with General Motors, vows to sell 9.85 million vehicles worldwide. That would top most ever by GM in 1978.

NAGOYA, Japan (AP) -- Toyota, in a neck-and-neck race that could dethrone General Motors as the world's top automaker this year, said Tuesday it plans to sell 9.85 million vehicles globally in 2008.

Toyota (TM) also said it plans to produce 9.95 million vehicles worldwide during the same year, up 5 percent from this year - the same percentage jump for the automaker's global sales.

Toyota Motor Corp.'s targets, announced at a hotel in Nagoya near company headquarters, far surpasses the 9.3 million vehicles General Motors (GM, Fortune 500) has given as its estimate for production this year.

GM has not given a forecast for the number of vehicles it expects to produce or sell in 2008.

GM has been fiercely fighting back and boosting its overseas business to try to retain the top industry spot, which it has held for 76 years.

Article is nothing new. The questions are...Is Toyota becoming too abitious? Will quick growth affect quality?
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M53R - 1/5/2008 1:34:55 AM

-3 Boost

I dont think they will, and even if they did, GM will regain the title in 2009. What makes me think so is that Toyota almost reached the best it can do, while on the other hand, if GM just improves current products, they can easily secure the number one spot.

M53R - 1/6/2008 6:27:44 AM

-1 Boost

Okay I was deboosted.... Wanna share why? I never said anything bad about Toyota!

BigShow50 - 1/5/2008 9:38:51 AM

+6 Boost

So it takes a brand like Toyota and a net result by GM of at least a loss of $13.6 billion for GM officials/execs to realize that they need to improve on their product or else...Toyota is just scratching the surface of succces, and it's unfortunate that a company like GM allowed themselves to become the guinnea pig of failure(that's probably one of the reasons why Toyota at this point is ambitious, besides they have a much better manufacturing process than GM as a whole), so other company rivals(including Toyota) can learn from GM of "What not to do!"...And why not be ambitious? Since it takes GM plus 12 some odd other susidaries/division they own around the world. Where it only takes 2 brands(Toyota/Lexus) to make some havoc to other rivals, plus they are very profitable on a year in year out basis, with about a untouch $40 plus billion cash reserve, and a company net worth of more than 5 "other" major auto corporations combine(no point of naming specifics). I have to say Toyota at this point can do whatever they want, say, or do. Besides Toyota is "Patient yet persistent kind of company"...GM for the last 76 years have not even reach this kind of accolade and probably never will unless we are talking "negative numbers"...so they already have taken another loss in this business segment once again. And by the way GM announced the other day they cannot move forward with a V8 powerplant project for their luxury segment(probably lack of funding and cannot engineer a much fuel efficent V8) also the Chevy volt may not reach their production date as claimed by GM's CEO....what's new GM?!?!?...what's new?!?!? By that time Toyota will have generation 4 hybrid on a much more fuel efficent scale, along with hybrid diesel and plug-in, etc...and most of their model lines up goin' into 2010 on to 2012 will possibly be a "standard hybrid equipment" and will cost only 65% to 75% less compare in today's hybrid premium. Time to put whatever money GM has left where their mouth is...

pacotacolol - 1/5/2008 9:56:27 AM

+4 Boost

this will be easy! release the 09 carolla, matrix, and volia! toppping all the companies

S4cabriofoxone - 1/5/2008 5:25:15 PM

-4 Boost

"Is Toyota becoming too abitious? Will quick growth affect quality?"

We're already seeing the affects it has on quality in the Camry, Tundra and various other glitches with post-'06 redesigns.

Toyota shouldn't focus so much on sales! It's product, product, product!!!

XYZZ - 1/6/2008 2:51:13 AM

+5 Boost

industry researchers had found that while it may take a couple of YEARS (or more!) for many companies to sort out all the bugs in a new model...

it rarely requires more than 4-6 MONTHS for honda and toyota to do the same.

1970toyotamarc - 1/6/2008 6:52:32 PM

+5 Boost

porschinator schooled at the 009 college for misleading headlines. Toyota simply is stating their production goal with no thought or care to what GM is doing, which of course we dont even know yet.