In sales Toyota him had already stolen the star

Between General Motors (GM) and Toyota, there is more photo. In 2007, the American leader had kept his title as world number one in the car, but it had been necessary to a hair: Detroit Group had sold 3.100 vehicles more that its Japanese rival, is a departure from... 0.03. Change of scenery in 2008. In the first half, Toyota is passed before its competitor. And throughout the year, the Japanese champion clearly outpaced it. Yesterday, the number one American announced sold 8.35 million cars worldwide last year. A compare to 8.97 million, or 7, claimed by Toyota.

GM has lost without possible appeal a world Crown he held since 1931, despite the competition more in greater Toyota including the United States for several decades. It was the last title of this type that kept the group. On the financial and stock plan, long ago, in fact, that GM is no longer the head race. In sales, Toyota him had already stolen the star. It is also Toyota that, for several years already, displays more hearty world, even if auto industry benefits, in terms of strict profitability of capital, German Porsche is better. On the stock market, finally, Toyota also throne at the top of the classification and weighs 55 times more than GM, came 18th in the world...

Is not that the Japanese group has achieved amazing performance last year. For the first time in ten years, its global sales have even declined, with a decline of 4 linked largely to the fall of the US market. Worse, Toyota expects to wipe the first loss of operation in its history during the current year.

Everything is not black for GM

But GM figures are much worse. The American leader sales declined by 11 during the year and of 26 on the only last quarter, "reflecting global economic pressure, including a credit crunch, the collapse of the price of raw materials and the absence of growth", explained the Group yesterday. This back up is the catalogue of GM, with many large cars quite intensive, little adapted to oil prices and the crisis.

All is not black in stock of GM. Last year, sales for example rose 10 to Brazil by 30 in Russia, 9 in India and 6 in China. "In developing areas, our market share increased in 14 countries on 26", welcomes you in Detroit. However, this was not enough to offset the 21 drop in the US, combined with the decline of 7 in Europe.

The title of world leader "Honestly, this is not a measure to which I am very attention, commented Tuesday night Fritz Henderson, one of the leaders of the group, at a conference sponsored by"Automotive news".". What is much more important for me, this is the way to GM compete. "In any case that the Group should not be bankruptcy, always threatening sword of Damocles. To avoid it, the first of the "big three" hopes to cash in all days the second tranche of a loan of 9.4 billion (EUR 7.3 billion) promised by the Federal Government in December. "If we don't get it, we are in course of cashbien before March 31", says Fritz Henderson.