Toyota is projecting sales of 9.4 million cars next year which would put it just ahead of rival GM. Further, the two companies are taking very different directions. Toyota plans on increasing car sales by 500,000 while GM is closing plants and laying off workers.
Surpassing G.M. would be a crowning achievement for Toyota, a company that got its start in the 1930s by reverse-engineering G.M. and Ford cars, and that spent decades catching up with Detroit. It would also end G.M.’s 81-year reign over the global auto industry, and mark another step in the rise of Asian carmakers.
However, there could be some problems for Toyota as well,
However, becoming the global leader would also have its pitfalls for Toyota, analysts warned. The Japanese automaker could become a victim of its own success and follow G.M.’s decline if it grows complacent, or lets quality control slip amid its rapid expansion, analysts said. Being at the top could also make Toyota a fatter target for critics, particularly in Congress, where the company’s rise could fan a protectionist backlash, analysts said.
While there is a chance that Toyota wont surpass GM next year, it seems like a good bet that eventually it will.
