Toyota Passes GM In Global Sales

rockylee

Well you must of missed the alternate ending that was going to be the ending where he won by a split decision and that my friend is GM. :P

Rocky

hondoyota

It seems that the difference between toyota and GM stems from their respective culture. Lets face it, here in America, it is very difficult to get things done right and with some quality. From building decent roads down to the framer who built your house, people just don't seem to care about doing a good job anymore. GM has to deal with this attitude both in their administration and especially in their labor force . Japanese culture, on the other hand, generally has more emphasis on doing a good job of things. The notion of "do it right or don't do it at all" has a larger role in Japan than it does in Amreica.

These cultural differences are what sets the stage for how nation's business is conducted in the rest of the world.

What do you think?

andres3

I absolutely agree with you. American's have a problem with ineptness, ineptitude, lazyness, incompetence, and tendency to take shortcuts.

Japanese tend to meticulously execute, and remember all the details. It's no surprise that the cars are so much more reliable and dependable.

drfill

Michelle Kerbs asks Toyota's Jim Press:

What will my 15-year-old be driving in 10 years; and what will your toddler grandchildren –- besides driving a Toyota -- be driving when they are old enough to drive?

Ten years from now, your children will be driving a plug-in hybrid powered by diesel, ethanol or blended fuel. My grandchildren will drive plug-in hybrids powered by hydrogen and fuel cells.

I think Toyota is ready for any eventuality, be it a surge in diesel or ethanol demand.

DrFill

scape2

Looks like Toyota's PR campaign has worked making Americans believe they are an American company and are here to save us.. :sick:
Did you know that for every 10 U.S. autoworker jobs lost only 1 is replaced? This per MSNBC article.
This is a sad day when Americans don't give a hoot about thier nations history and could care less about GM or Ford going by the way side. Much of this is pure perception that the media has been bashing and bashing into our heads. GM/Ford build great cars. I frankly will never, ever buy a Toyota or Honda product.

bigo08

Im with u pal

bpizzuti

Sorry. I love my country, but I wouldn't be caught dead in a GM, and don't think much of the DCX vehicles either. Some of Fords newer stuff (primarily Edge and Fusion) are pretty competitive, but the others (Escape and Focus specifically) need extensive redesign...badly.

This is a matter of who makes a better product, plain and simple. Ford is actually managing to START being competitive, and there's no reason why GM can't either (DCX is a different story, heh).

I hope they do end up succeeding, but they're going to have to do it the right way: by making a better product than the competition. They are in trouble primarily because they haven't done so, while others did.

rockylee

GM, has some very competitive products in various segments in the auto-industry. Tell me the cars your interested in or own as in foreign name plates ? I'd like to know exactly where they aren't competitive at ? Sure their are a few segments where they fall behind but overall they are more competitive than the others of the big 3 and 2008, 2009, 2010, and for sure by 2012, they will virtually have a competitive answer for every competitor on the market.

Rocky

bpizzuti

I own a Mazda3, and am interested in buying a Mitsubishi Outlander or Toyota RAV4 (which I can't seem to get optioned the way I want) or the Nissan Rogue when it comes out.

GM doesn't make anything combining anything resembling a sporty suspension with a hatch/tailgate. AWD is limited to their SUVs and trucks. Many of their smaller vehicles still use 4 speed automatics, no DSG, no CVT, and most of them aren't even shiftable autoboxes.

On the DCX front, the Patriot/Caliber had promise, but I hear reports that their CVT bogs down the engine badly for some reason. Nothing else fits.

Ford's Escape is an old design that still uses a 4-speed automatic. Focus also, and has no AWD (and the hatch is going byebye). Fusion is nice except for having a trunk. Edge is nice, but a bit expensive for me compared with the Outlander (which isn't really fair since Edge is a midsize and Outlander is a compact, which is why I mentioned Escape first).

rockylee

I see. Well the only automobile I know that would fit that bill until the future would be a Chevy Trailblazer SS. Sure it uses a out-dated as you say 4-speed auto but it is indeed sporty and pretty darn fun to drive. The next vehicle that might fit your bill is the LS-4 V8 GMC Acadia Denali or Enclave ? The Saturn VUE Redline, is pretty damn sporty as well. I don't see how one could say that vehicle doesn't meet or exceed the vehicles you mention ? :confuse:

Rocky

bpizzuti

The Redline is $30k. The GMCs and Trailblazer are midsize+ vehicles, 2 with V8s, and the Trailblazer, as you said, with a 4-speed auto. All of them are over $30k. None of the vehicles you mentioned are price-competitive with the Outlander or where the Rogue is expected to be priced. Nor do they have the technology (4 speed vs. 6 speed and CVT) or milegae ratings to compete with Mitsubishi and Nissan's models. They might have V8s or high-output V6 engines, but I'm not looking for high-output engines, I'm looking for sport-type suspensions. There are very few straight roads around here, but lots of fun curves, especially with the right suspension tuning (read Mazda suspension, heh).

Of the ones you've mentioned, the RedLine comes closest. Not CLOSE, mind you, but closest. This assumes they gave the VUE Redline a sport suspension instead of just dumping a high-output V6 in the engine bay (as is GM's habit sometimes) and they changed the AWD system significantly to be active 100% of the time instead of waiting to engage until after slippage is detected. The first improves handling. The second is only good for bad weather. I need it for bad weather, but I also want it to help handling as long as all the equipment is there. Even better if it's engagement is controllable like in the Mitsubishi Outlander.

drfill

Last time I checked, Toyota is building North American plants at a record pace, hiring thousands of workers.

I believe it's the domestics that are closing plants at the same rates, and dropping as much weight as possible.

The more cars Toyota sells here, the more Americans they will hire to build them here.

Whether you like it, or whether you don't like it, learn to love it.

Most of us who buy foreign cars have been torched once too often by these great american cars you speak of. I've sold many of the "great" cars, personally, so I know how "great" they really are! :lemon:

The domestics nake FEW great cars, and the Toyotas/Hondas of the world know our customers better than we do! And we damn sure aren't as efficient. So as gas prices rise, so do Corolla and Prius sales. This is becoming a yearly thing.

Can the Americans make great, efficient cars? We better. :confuse:

DrFill

douglasr

The world will not stop revolving. GM had a record quarter, and has had record sales. We forget that the U.S. market is three times the size it was in 1957 when Toyota sold TWO, that's right ONE-TWO cars in the U.S. In fifty years they have created a niche market for their cars that the U.S. industry ignored or took with a light hearted view: The Vega was meant to compete with used cars.... and bad omens: The Pinto. It was all down-hill from there.

The malfeasance at the top of GM under Roger Smith was unparalleled---his mistakes far worse than any Enron scandal---Mr. Wagoner is still trying to recover from those mistakes made two decades ago under the Smith regime. For what GM spent in the 1980's under Roger Smith, they could have bought Toyota Motor Corporation, instead they lost 11 points in market share and destroyed consumer confidence in GM. That GM has done as well as it has since then is credit to executives like Mr. Wagoner. GM now has a chance as they have been building many creditable vehicles that not only will not rape the owner in terms of maintenance, but are actually exciting and fun to drive. But it is the bad taste of the 1970's and 1980's that GM has to recover from.

Without just making clones of other peoples designs...

The world auto market has vastly expanded since GM ruled the roost in America. GM, Ford and Chrysler just simply forgot to look at the other side of the coin, and have now been burned for it. And seem like the "Michael Jackson" of the auto industry to many first time buyers!

Quite simply they have to get tough, build great cars again, and put away their corporate cowardice---avoiding what has happened under William C. Ford's reign at Ford Motor---and build cars that challenge the imagination and deliver performance, good value and economy all at the same time. Mr. Wagoner almost has it right...he is sooo close.

Toyota makes largely unremarkable, boring, but reliable appliances: you could call them "hotpiont', 'Coldspot' and market them like a Black & Decker toaster, they are hardly wothy of the name "car", which is largely what most of them are....but Americans are tired of huge repair bills, low trade in values, and the necessity to trade in too often. That is what created the Toyota Empire in this nation. They just made a better toaster.

Now all GM has to do is put the excitement back into all their cars...like to Solstace, and the Cadillac XLR, and the impending V12---build them well enough so that they do not self destruct, until they hit 100K miles. And Americans will come back to look and give them a chance.

DouglasR

nippononly

They are going to self-destruct at 100K miles? Count me out. Maybe you could make that 200K miles.

drfill

Kinda what got them into this mess in the first place.

Self-destruction. Good song. Could be Detroit theme music, like "Shaft". :P

DrFill

nippononly

http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070430/FREE/70430004/1532

One thing is they anticipate that their lead in fuel economy will now be erased by new entries from other automakers. I am sure they have GM on their mind with that statement. GM and Honda are pretty much the only two taking future fuel economy very seriously, seems to me.

They do say that the Tundra is pulling in lots of folks who didn't own a Toyota truck before.

rockylee

LOL....Well if the future fuel economy car's look like the Trax, please shoot me !!!! :sick:

Rocky

nippononly

Consider yourself shot! ;-)

Hey Rock, you know the Smart ForTwo is coming early next year, right? This is a two-seater weighing a delicious 1700 pounds, and making in excess of 40 mpg combined. And that's just the base gas - hopefully they will bring one of the diesels as soon it is a 50-state (expect more like 60 mpg there) as well as the 98 hp Brabus version with improved handling and an extra 25 horses (did I mention that the base ForTwo will have 70 hp? OMG, Rock, it's your worst nightmare come to life! :-P)

There are some pretty remarkable videos on the Web showing them running ForTwos into walls at freeway speeds, and the driver getting out and walking away, at least so I hear. Proof positive that at least SOME automakers in the world are thinking outside the box. :-)

Of course, this is just one aspect of what Jim Press was talking about in the interview - Toyota has no answer planned at present for this type of onslaught. Luckily, they have a lot of vehicles on the market outside the U.S. which are smaller and more efficient than what they sell here now, so they have reserves depending on how the wind blows on future gas prices and consumer tastes.

rockylee

I need a bullet !!! :sick:

Yes, I saw the Smart ForTwo smashing into brick walls but they didn't show me what would happen when that brick wall crashed into the side of that Sardine can. If they were as safe as they make em' out to be I guess I could put the bullet back into the box.

You will not see me EVER regardless of gas prices drive such a automobile like that. I'd rather walk and excuse me if I get a little road rage and drive a few off the highways !!!! :mad:

Rocky

nippononly

Better get yourself a good pair of boots! ;-)

gagrice

The reason the Smart is built so well, it is a Mercedes. Germans are still the leaders in safety. The diesel version sold in Canada gets about 70 MPG US. By the time we put 500 lbs of smog control it will probably be lucky to get 40 MPG.

rockylee

ROTF !!!!

Rocky

iluvmysephia1

Obvio! 828/2 in to a freeway wall, now! See what you've started?

I would pop cash in to a new Obvio! 828/2 before I'd blow $15,000 on a Smart For Who? More gadgets, beefier and more elliptical body if involved in a nasty crash, yessa it does.

Actually both of these rigs make me glad I went with a big 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer with 7 airbags, including a driver's knee airbag. Pretty weird that I've bought two rigs in a row that offer driver's knee airbags when they're not exactly commonplace in the market, eh?

nippononly

Hey, the base ForTwo can match your airbag count and has ABS (as I assume yours does as well) and is projected to sell for around $10K!

british_rover

A client of mine was just in with his SMART that he bought from ZAP.

He loves that car.

nippononly

yeah, I see them on the streets around here, people seem to like them. I think one of the distributors is just up the road from me.

On a different note, doesn't Daihatsu (wholly owned subsidiary of Toyota in Japan) still make the Charade? Maybe they could bring that over as their new fuel economy champ! They need a new quirky JDM model to spice up the Scion line quick before the buzz goes dead.

british_rover

Hmhh they probably do and that would be a good addition to the Scion line. If MB can get the next SMART federalized then no reason why toyota can't do the same.

nippononly

They do!

http://www.carpages.co.uk/guide/daihatsu/daihatsu-charade-gallery.asp

Sell it as a Scion, $11K with the usual features, it has a 1.0 in Britain, weighs a wonderful 1700 pounds, and makes 58 mpg combined. Yes! :-)

iluvmysephia1

for the xB popping windshields. Scion is saying that they're from rocks hitting their shields when owners have documented that they've garaged their xB's and their windshields would mysteriously just start cracking. Humm. No comment.

No, I'm all for the Smart For Someone and 828/2's and such making an impact. I have to endure so many ugly big pick-em-up trucks and SUV's here in the hicksticks of Arizona(same as I did when living in Missouri and South Dakota)that a little Smart For is a welcome breath of fresh air.

Russell Crowe drove one in 'A Good Day'(I think that's what the movie was called)that my wife and I saw on the big screen in Tucson. I saw it real well on the silver screen and it is a clown car but I think that it will sell in decent numbers and I think the Obvio!'s will sell but ZAP will get fewer of them sold for Obvio! because nobody knows much about Obvio! Some sellin' will definitely be in order here. I think Obvio! has a huge uphill battle on their hands here in the land of behemoth.

british_rover

That is probably 58 MPG in imperial gallons. Take about 15% off of that for US gallons.

Also a 1.0 won't work in the US. It won't make enough power to run the AC and get up a hill. You need to use a 1.5 at least.

nippononly

Well, I dunno...that car makes 0-60 in 12.2 seconds in England, and A/C is standard. As for mpg, yes I jumped in without remembering the Imperial gallon conversion, but it would still work out at 50 or so, darned good for a combined figure.

You know 3/4 of the U.S. is almost totally flat. It might not be the best car for San Francisco, but it would work fine in most places. They do have hills in England too! (just not the very high mountains we have in the Sierra and the Rockies)

british_rover

Really AC is standard? That is unusual for Britian most low end cars have optional AC and even some mid-line cars have optional AC.

I just assumed this one was the same.

nippononly

A/C and ABS are standard.

Even a tame move like bringing over something like that Charade would appear interesting these days at Toyota, as play-it-safe-and-boring as they have become. I think I am going to have to go back to Hondas, unless Subaru can get me a mid-30-mpgs car in five years.

Still, it just goes to show you what a vast majority of the market it is that doesn't care one whit about exciting or interesting cars. Toyota's top five models by annual sales volume are usually Corolla, Camry, Tacoma, RAV4, and Highlander. Except for the Tacoma XRunner, which Toyota cancels about every fourth year due to lack of buyer interest, there isn't one thing in that whole group that is exciting, or intriguingly different from everything else in its class, or anything more than reliable transportation that provides a decent value to the buyer. Toyota knows this all too well, which is why it plays so hard to the middle of the market.

bumpy

unless Subaru can get me a mid-30-mpgs car in five years.

Impreza boxer diesel?

british_rover

Nothing toyota makes is exciting anymore. They have squarely staked out the middle of the market which is generally the most profitable but they aren't using those profits to make anything interesting.

Even the last gen MR2 wasn't so great.

explorerx4

suitably vague comment from a marketing spokesperson.
i the country keeps following the 'walmart' model, toyota won't have a sales advantage for long.

iluvmysephia1

Toyota vehicle in development as I type this. It's a new Supra of sorts, been making the car mags for several months now. Stay tuned.

harrychezt

http://www.intellichoice.com/future/future/year/2009

This says a few models as 09's coming out as 08's, and this site is generally 65-75% correct on their predictions.

xR is" a 4 door rally inspired car".
If they keep the 3 door tC, and a slightly larger 4 door(say akin to the Lancer, but with tC's 160HP), we may have one of each in our driveway by 09!

Mentions a VW coupe, Kia Coupe, and other 09's, either CY or MY.

Anyhow...new tC and in 08(?) and xR in (or as a) 09.... may be interesting.
tc/no

nippononly

The really disappointing thing is in the old days, it took so LITTLE for them to produce a fun sporty car. Look at the first Supra - they took their sport coupe, did virtually no reengineering except stretching the front end a bit, then dropped in the engine from their largest sedan and voila! The first Supra.

Another one of the all-time greats was also done without much trouble - the Celica All-Trac from the late 80s and early 90s. Take the existing Celica, plop a turbo on top of the engine and borrow an existing AWD system from a different model, and voila! One of the most sought-after Toyotas of all time.

They were adventurous back then. I really miss that spirit of adventure they used to have. I guess there's no room for adventure on the road to world domination.

Look at GM - cancelling the Cobalt SS now due to slow sales. Maybe the truth is there is no place for sport on the road to world domination. Corvette is a world-famous name for GM, but I am sure the lion's share of profits come not from that niche car's sales, but from pick-up trucks and Impalas.

harrychezt

Well, the new Lancer ,ES, is a slug, the CVT , without the Magnesium Paddle Shifter deal.
But, it will most likely sell.
For sporty( 0-60 in 7.8 with manual, 8.2 with automatic) have no qualms about our 80,000 miles Scion tC, to be honest.
I t may not hit 60 in sat 6-7 seconds, like some "old school" sport cars of the 70's, but it 's fun enough( go test drive a CVT Lancer, except the GTS model, and push it into drive, then test a tC..Big Difference.) but it's decent, and gets 32-34MPG.
And a hatch, also!
The tC sold a few hundred units short of 80,000 last year, in 06. Scion's best selling model.
It was only out 16 months to hit these type of sales(in 05, they almost hit 75K units sold).
On the other hand, the Hyundai Tiburon is lucky to hit 20K sales per year( another, "Sporty" , fairly inexpensive hatch).|Mazda 3 is somewhat sport, and sells around 93-95K units per yea(hatch and a sedan... seems Scion may bring their xr sedan in to garner even more sales? May even outsell Mazda3 with tC/xR combo?).
The Mustang still sells well. The Challenger is coming out and the Camaro, too(for RWD fans.....all 3 of these).

I would not sports cars or sporty(fwd. awd) cars are dead. Just certain models don't make the grade, for one reason or another, and are dropped. Look at AWD Subaru WRX and Lancer EVO...very fast, sporty, and sell well enough.

Maybe if the Cobalt looked like a Mini- Camaro(the new model) and had std engine the HHR top engine, the normally aspirated one, isn't it 173HP?
Then add the turbo as a special deal.
Dunno if changing the looks would help(or take the new Astra 3 door, lengthen it a few inches for Chevy... change the grille/badge, a few other details, and drop in the larger engines!).
Call it the SS. The Saturn 3 door Astra is being billed as the "Sportier" version of the Astras(5 and 3 doors) that should be here NLT August of 07, iirc.
It's already "tweaked" for more "fun"... if Cobalt can also become a G5.... why not an Astra become a SS Cobalt/hatch?
Maybe throw in the 5 door, also? See which one's sell in 2-3 years.

take care/not offense.

hondoyota

I agree that removing the MR2, Supra, Celica, and sporty Corollas are some of the absolutely lamest things toyota has ever done

On a lighter note, does anybody know any info on the european toyota AYGO? I have heard rumors that they may start selling it here to combat the fortwo...

nippononly

I wish they would! :-)

bpizzuti

The Cobalt SS was never competitive...GM seems to have that problem, as the upcoming VUE Redline isn't either: it's got the specs to possibly go against the Outlander and CX-7, but it's WAY more expensive than either.

Toyota seems to have gone the same way, so maybe it's just something with these full-sized, full-line manufacturers, where they can't get a decently priced decently sporty vehicle out of an inoffensive snoozebox without jacking the price up too high or having the vehicle come up short compared to a Mazda, Mitsubishi, or several Nissans (or even some Fords!), which tend to be designed with sport in mind from the beginning.

Remember, Toyota USED to have the Celica and MR2, the Matrix XRS, and the old Supra. They didn't become #1 until they had NONE of the above; just pitiful "S" trims on some models (Which works: no engine or suspension upgrades = half the sport of an SS trim, heh). They've got ONE model with a somewhat realistic "Sport" trim: the RAV4. And it's hard to miss with a compact CUV to begin with anyway.

Maybe the cost of being #1 is giving up any hope of the "sporty" niche buyers, leaving them to Nissan, Mitsubishi, and Mazda, and just sticking with snoozeboxes? Guess I'll never be buying a car from a #1 manufacturer.

Makes sense though. Most people walking into a Chevy or Toyota dealer don't have the word "sport" on their minds. Those are they people they have to please to sell more vehicles. The rest of us are at one of those other dealers already.

jason31480

True. Ace is coming. :shades:

iluvmysephia1

look at a 2006 Polar White Scion xA and found it an OK test drive. I think that car might be a fun one to own, however, I showed one to my wife and she was non-plussed.

I was looking and thinking I wanted a Toyota Yaris for the longest time while living in Idaho. I never approached them for a test drive and we eventually moved to Arizona. While in Arizona I was thinking Scion tC Spec(I liked the $15,000 price tag but read online that they were hard to pry out of the dealers for that price)but I really wanted a 4-door.

So my attention went back to the Scion xA and the Kia Rio or Kia Rio5. Good cars and nice body design on both. Soon the new Kia Optima re-design was out and early reports from owners were pretty positive. I was blessed with a good Kia Sportage that didn't give me any trouble so I didn't need to rush in to any purchase.

Round about the fall of 2006 Mitsubishi released pictures of a new Lancer design they were building to release early in 2007. Hummm...looked good...they only showed the front of the car and it looked nicely menacing.

From these it was all history as the more I learned the more I liked. I am glad I sprung for the higher trimmed GTS with the option of the Sun and Sound package, though. It has the leather-wrapped steering wheel and tranny knob, magnesium paddle shifters for the CVT "manual" mode, sunroof, automatic climate control, 7 airbags, 4-wheel discs the size of the Outlander SUV, ABS brakes w/EBD, specially bolstered seats and a primo 650-watt Rockford Fosgate 9-speaker stereo with subwoofer in the trunk and great, clear loud sound. This car is awesome in Rally Red and I am so glad I waited for my Lancer GTS.

I think what I was starting out to say in this post was that Toyota should be given some credit for their design work. The Yaris is a decent looking car, however, a bit small for us and kind of plain looking.

The Scion tC is a good effort, too, by Scion and I think it looks better than the discontinued Celica.

bpizzuti

Umm, the Yaris sucks. Not even Consumer Reports liked it. And they like pretty much anything with a "Toyota" badge on it.

thegraduate

This is a sad day when Americans don't give a hoot about thier nations history and could care less about GM or Ford going by the way side. Much of this is pure perception that the media has been bashing and bashing into our heads. GM/Ford build great cars. I frankly will never, ever buy a Toyota or Honda product.

Is that what you REALLY think? By buying a vehicle from outside the country, people "don't give a hoot about their nation's history?"

Funny how we share different views on this (although mine is wrong, of course, because I drive a Honda and therefore hate the US, right?)

The way I look at it, American car companies led sales here for a LONG time. Americans are patriotic people, prideful in what we are so blessed to have. However, when a company/product gets to the point that it means spending $25,000 +/- on something that they really don't want, well, people start shopping for what they DO want. If Ford/GM/Chrysler offered vehicles that the public really wanted, don't you think they would lead the field? I mean, the best product to the most people, as well as home field advantage; they'd be on top.

Toyota is doing well for a reason, and its not propoganda (which is what you are spreading with this "media bashing into our heads" stuff), it is the fact that for many years, they built a product that the buying public decided was more worthy of their hard-earned dollars, so much so, that they were willing to send their money outside of the country to get it.

I frankly will never, ever buy a Toyota or Honda product.

Gee, never woulda guessed. The way you seem to see it, that'd be selling your soul to the devil.

I also have a Sony Laptop, a Toshiba DVD player, and a Fuji Digital Camera (all overseas companies). But, since Ford doesn't make a competitor to these, I guess its ok? :confuse:

I'd like to introduce you to something called a "global economy..."

drfill

Most Americans have an intimate sense of American auto history.

Most have been burned one, twice, three times by a domestic, and when they realize there is another option, and it doesn't let them down, it becomes Option A, until further notice.

Domestics have dropped the ball, and the Japanese have it, and are running with it. FAST!

Like the Warriors vs., the Mavericks! Try to keep up! :surprise:

DrFill

drfill

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2007/05/01/046249.html

DrFill

circlew

Looks like the burning continues, Dr. F!

UPDATE: Consolidated Summary Of April US Auto Sales Data
Tue, May 1 2007, 18:21 GMT
http://www.djnewswires.com/eu
UPDATE: Consolidated Summary Of April US Auto Sales Data

The following summarizes the U.S. light vehicle sales numbers for April for the major auto makers that have reported data Tuesday. The figures are not adjusted for the number of selling days, which totaled 24 last month and 26 in April 2006. Figures in parentheses indicate a decrease in sales from the year-earlier period.

YR-ON-YR YR-ON-YR
COMPANY SALES CHANGE YTD CHANGE

General Motors (GM) 307,554 (9.5%) 1,205,997 (6.5%)
Ford (F) 228,623 (13%) 871,583 (13%)
Toyota (TM) 210,457 (4.3%) 816,312 6.7%
Chrysler * 193,104 1.6% 730,353 (2.9%)
Nissan (NSANY) 71,124 (18%) 350,105 0%


The following is a breakdown of the April sales numbers for the auto makers by type of vehicle.

TRUCK/SUV CHANGE CARS CHANGE
GM 186,545 (9.1%) 121,009 (10%)
Ford 147,891 (5.8%) 80,732 (24%)
Toyota 89,901 (2.3%) 120,556 (5.8%)
Chrysler 146,439 11% 46,665 (20%)
Nissan 30,410 (22%) 40,714 (14%)

Regards,
OW