VW May Be Top Seller In First Quarter 2009

In 2008 Toyota outsold all other manufacturers and was the biggest carmaker. 2009 could see some changes as Volkswagen is capturing weak markets such Russia, while Toyota sales are falling dramatically everywhere. “Volkswagen is a big competitor for Toyota,” said Koji Endo, auto analyst at Credit Suisse in Tokyo. “Audi is strong, Volkswagen is strong, and they’re making good use of their small cars.” Last year in Q1 Volkswagen Group presented 1.57 million vehicles, while Toyota delivered 2.41 million vehicles.

 Toyota’s U.S. sales this year fell 36 percent and sales in Japan fell 3 percent. These markets account for nearly half of their global sales. Overall, global sales are down 47 percent for Toyota compared to last year. First quarter sales are approximated around 1.23 million vehicles. Volkswagen sales are dropping too, but not as much. It looks like Volkswagen may become the world’s top-selling carmaker in the first quarter.