Quite a surprising piece of news, this, and probably one that the main actors themselves did not expect. According to Reuters, Volkswagen eclipsed Toyota as the world’s top-selling carmaker in the first quarter of 2016 as the Japanese giant grappled with a series of production stoppages.
Toyota sales declined 2.3% in the January-March period to 2.46 million cars, a spokesman said this week. VW reported earlier this month an 0.8% increase to 2.51 million vehicles in group deliveries. General Motors’ quarterly deliveries went down 2.5% to 2.36 million cars due to a slump in Latin America. The US group remains in third place.
VW leading the global sales race in the early part of the year is nothing new. In fact, Wolfsburg had been leading the sales race in the first half of 2015 before the “dieselgate” emissions scandal derailed its bid to be the No.1 carmaker. In the end, Toyota sold 10.15 million cars in 2015 to retain its status as the world’s top-selling carmaker for the fourth year running.
The report says that VW’s worldwide group deliveries have so far not taken a beating from the diesel emissions cheating scandal, with strong demand for luxury Audi and Porsche models and Czech volume brand Skoda boosting figures.
The maker of the Golf, which last week reported the biggest financial loss in its history after setting aside 16.2 billion euros (RM71.8b) to help meet costs arising from the scandal, expects 2016 deliveries on a par with last year’s 9.93 million.
Toyota’s slower sales had to do with supply issues. Already handicapped by a one-week shutdown at domestic assembly plants in February, the company said earlier this month it would suspend much of its production at plants across Japan for another week after massive earthquakes in Kyushu led to a shortage of parts. Domestic production has accounted for roughly 40% of Toyota’s global output, with nearly half of all its vehicles produced in Japan exported overseas.
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2.3% down due to boring models..
Want to get an excited model? Grab a Proton. You will have plenty of time watching free astro at Proton garage.
Global sales maybe good but in Malaysia, DSG is still a big problem as DSG cannot be used in hot countries.
Unfortunately, to comfort owners whose cars breakdown every other month, VGM givesfree car wash to free sweets at traffic lights to now free petrol
Malaysian VW owners don’t want all this nonsense. VW owners want 3 things
1) 10 year Warranty on DSG
2) Fixed Resale Value after 7 year Loan finished
3) Free Courtesy Car and Tow Truck 8x a year.
VW owners are still facing problems with their DSG in Malaysia despite using mineral oil. Cars are juddering and breaking down. People buy RM200k car but have to stand in the hot sun waiting for the tow truck to come every other month.
How is VGM going to compensate the 21 anual leave that VW customers completely use to repair and fix problems?
In would be good if VGM also give a fixed trade in value after 7 years cause now, even used car salesman don’t want to touch our cars. Our 2nd hand value has become a joke. Passat 2014 used car dealers are offering RM70k or below. Some are even taking Rm60k.
As owner of both 1 VW and 1 Toyota. Don’t know how to react at all. But I can tell you all this. Aftersales, claim, reasonable reliability VW is really disappointing.
Just like a father would never discriminate his son for his son’s mistakes, Malaysians should not choose the easy way out to flog our national car brand for its failures but instead we can choose to voice our disappointment to Proton constructively so that it can improve. Deep down inside, I know a lot of Malaysians still hope for our national car brand’s success, although sometimes discreetly.
I am one of them, but please do not use Proton or MAS as a medium to channel bisnes/dollar to build supporters & build your political power, otherwise they will forever be in infancy.
I do believe that if managed competently with good corporate governance, Proton, MAS or any GLC can be successful. The problem lies with the political influences and cronyism that follows.
Yeah…thats y we should not buy under market value like tokong did…
Oh, I was thinking Honda overtook Toyota as world no 1. No?
You cannot trust VW. If they can lie so many times, what makes you so sure they have not lied about their sales figures?
VW is a compulsive liar. They have lied so much even Pinocchio is put to shame. Trust me, global sales have fallen so much and I think again, Pinocchio is lying again and telling people sales are so good.
Hahahaha…what a joker.
Pipu realised that dieselgate still not as terrible as moving-coffingate
Toyota 1 week sales is more than proton 1 year sales
???? wrong basis of comparison! one is global sales, and another is per country sales.
Shh. Basher logic only works in their fantasy world. Dun burst their bubble
Wrong basis? I’m comparing global sales for both, don make me laugh, arent proton global? Or you want to complain its not fair because proton global sales low, seems like you only live in your fantasy world small proton
Wrong basis? So what is proton global sales? Or you want to complain its not fair because proton low global sales? Seem like you are the one who live in your small fantasy world little john small proton
Wrong basis? So what is proton global sales? Or you want to complain its not fair because proton low global sales? Seem like you are the one who live in your small fantasy world little john
Whoa! Brainless basher just went into OCD mode
Haha! You cannot accept the fact? If i’m wrong please correct me with correct fact, just show me fact that proton global sales higher year 2015 higher than toyota 1 week sales of 10m/52 weeks. Little john
95% of proton car sales comes from Malaysia. That shows its global sales as well.
Another stupid same lorrr vol 2 wrote about p1 here.Article stated about worldwide sale of vw kicking toyota sales lah bodoh.Not about p1
guess, vw group got free advertisement thru dieselgate?? sales are ramping up since….
I think another reason for big T fallen due to one of its drunk salesman aka foul mouth spokesman in Bolehland,stupid same lorrr taken so much time smoking weed at the side of showroom corner coz not able to convince people to buy underpower & fuel drinker vios.
You must be the hailat kimchi driver who trade in your car to me at 25k. This is even lower than my saga.
Nobody will trade in to UMW as i know Topmark will value any car lower than other used car dealers. Toyota cars more worst! They think that the customers will accept any value coz they think by hook or by crook toyota owners will be loyal to Toyota only.hahaha.Keep dreaming lah! Nowadays people getting smart lah! But with boring models line up available currently,who want to buy Toyota now? Sales number speak very loud lah! If your cars so in demand why only 2.9k in February & 4K sold in March? Proton sold more than Toyota too! Whahahaha!
You think your car so popular? Agreed,Toyota is so yesterday…..
Topmark value Toyota even lower!
Never trust Topmark.Brought my car last month to trade in but Topmark valued my car 6k different than Nissan! Even Honda value 3k better than Toyota’s Topmark.Anyway lucky coz many complaints vios under power.7k discount but trade in sucks! Satisfied with my new city
It’s a hoax from hoaxwagen. Do you “still” believe them?
Yeah. Reuters all kena dedak. Not like WSJ or ABC, right?
Would the majority of ppl even care about dieselgate? If their cars are awesome ppl would still buy it anyway. Heck, ppl in Malaysia are even removing their catalytic converters from their cars. Talk about environmental friendly.
whats the point of being biggest when vw products lacks quality..
Never been to Europe isit,jojo? Kasihan nye
What’s the point of quality if your family is killed by shrapnel-airbags?