Skip advert
Advertisement

GM back on top

Posting some impressive international sales figures, General Motors once again becomes the worlds largest car company

General Motors re-overtakes Toyota to become the world's best-selling car company once again, shifting over 9 million vehicles worldwide, the Detroit-manufacturer's best ever result.

The biggest driver for this victory has been Chevrolet's worldwide sales-effort, accounting for 4.76 million of GM's result, with some big increases in sales in both emerging and developed markets. 15 countries have the biggest year-on-year increase ever, including Peru (81 percent), Vietnam (79 percent), Thailand (57 percent), South Africa (50 percent) and Israel (46 percent).

Advertisement - Article continues below

Chevrolet's biggest seller was the Cruze, with over 670,000 sold internationally in 2011 alone. GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson was incredibly happy about the result, and said: 'Chevrolet's impressive growth in both established and developing markets is the result of a strong new product lineup that meets the diverse needs of consumers around the world. In addition to Chevrolet's record-setting sales, the entire lineup of GM vehicles is meeting customer needs for fuel-efficient cars and work vehicles as well as unmatched luxury.'

Previous world leader, Toyota, has been very badly affected throughout the year by the Japanese Tsunami and aftermath, which will have undoubtedly had an impact on sales. The Japanese giant suffered parts shortages and production problems throughout the year, also affected badly by the Thailand floods. 

Market Total 2011 Sales

United States

Brazil

China

Russia

Mexico

Canada

Argentina

Uzbekistan

India

Colombia

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Peugeot’s new petrol engine swaps belts for chains to improve reliability
Peugeot Turbo 100
News

Peugeot’s new petrol engine swaps belts for chains to improve reliability

New engine isn’t performance-oriented but does address some reliability issues around so-called ‘wet belts’, swapping them out altogether for chains
16 Mar 2026
Four hyper hatches for two-thirds less than the new £92k Audi RS3 Competition
Used hyper hatches
News

Four hyper hatches for two-thirds less than the new £92k Audi RS3 Competition

Whatever happened to accessible hot hatchbacks? Nevermind the £92k Audi RS3 Competition, buy these instead
19 Mar 2026
Car makers are U-turning on EVs but car buyers are going to pay the price
Plug-in hybrid Lamborghini
Opinion

Car makers are U-turning on EVs but car buyers are going to pay the price

While the combustion engines we love have a stay of execution, the future won't be all sunshine and rainbows for car enthusiasts
17 Mar 2026