HOUSTON, TEXAS - A Toyota sign is displayed at a dealership on January 04, 2022 in Houston, Texas.
(Photo : Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
Toyota Motor Corp overcame supply chain woes and a computer chip shortage to retain its title as the world's top-selling automaker. The Japanese auto giant beat German rival Volkswagen for the second consecutive year.
On Friday, January 28, Toyota said that it had sold nearly 10.5 million vehicles in 2021, a 10 percent increase compared to its 2020 numbers. Toyota's 2021 figures include units made by its Hino and Daihatsu subsidiaries.
Volkswagen, which Toyota overtook last year to reclaim first place in global auto sales, said earlier this month that it had made 8.9 million deliveries in 2021, a 4.5 percent drop on-year as the semiconductor shortage affected sales.
Toyota's sales increase despite chip crisis in 2021
Toyota issued a statement about its sales triumph, saying, "In 2021, the effects of the spread of COVID-19 were less severe than in 2020. As a result, both global sales and production were up year-on-year."
Despite landing the top spot in car sales last year, Toyota was not immune to the supply chain crisis that crippled the entire auto industry in 2021. The Japanese group said that Toyota's global sales in December 2021 were down year-on-year due to ongoing effects from the parts supply shortage caused by the spread of the coronavirus in Southeast Asia and insufficient chip supplies.
The much-imitated Toyota Production System succumbed to COVID-19. The automaker slashed its production plans by 40 percent late last year after a spate of government restrictions and lockdowns grounded Toyota's suppliers in Southeast Asia to a halt.
Toyota warned investors that the outlook for both COVID-19 and parts supply trends remain uncertain. The company promises to do its utmost to minimize the impact of these two issues in 2022.
Toyota and Volkswagen have been locked in a tight battle for the top spot in global auto sales ever since General Motors relinquished that coveted position in 2012. Toyota reigned supreme from 2012 to 2015, selling a combined 40.15 million units during that four-year period.
Volkswagen ended Toyota's dominance in 2016, capturing the global sales crown with sales of 10.3 million units. Volkswagen extended its reign for three more years, retaining the top spot for 2017 (10.7 million), 2018 (10.8 million), and 2019 (11 million).
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Toyota widens lead over Volkswagen
Toyota managed to turn things around in 2020, delivering 9.5 million vehicles amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The Japanese firm narrowly defeated Volkswagen's sales, with the German carmaker selling 9.3 million units that year.
The gap between the two rivals is widening, with Toyota selling 1.6 million more vehicles than Volkswagen in 2021. Volkswagen Group recorded its lowest annual sales in a decade, with Volkswagen-branded vehicle deliveries declining by 8.1 percent last year. It did not help matters for Volkswagen that it struggled mightily in China, with the brand's sales in the world's largest auto market dropping by 14.8 percent in 2021.
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