Toyota takes over top spot in auto sales

General Motors is no longer holding the top spot among auto manufacturers.

Toyota now claims the title of top automaker, taking the spot from GM, but both companies say they have a lot more issues on which to focus.

Toyota has a manufacturing plant in Princeton, Ind., and representatives said the company was honored to be the No. 1 automaker in sales.

But they strive to be No. 1 in other areas. 

“Our goal is to be No. 1 in quality and customer satisfaction,” Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana Inc. spokeswoman Kelly Dillon said. “Certainly we’re honored that we’re No. 1 in sales, but that is not our goal as a company.”  
 
Dillon said she believes the company, which has not been spared from the tough economic times, helps the state’s economy.  

Toyota employs 4,500 people at the plant and uses suppliers from throughout the state, Dillon said.  

GM spokesman John McDonald said he recognizes Toyota has passed GM, which has a plant in near Fort Wayne, but said it is not of much worry to the company.

“We don’t put much stock in horse races. It seems to be more of a concern for other people,” McDonald said. “What we’re concerned about is becoming profitable in all of our regions and serving our customers with the best product and price.”

McDonald said he believes only people outside the auto industry really care that Toyota has taken over the top spot.

But not everyone agrees Toyota is No. 1.  

United Auto Workers Local 2209 President Orval Plumlee said he does not believe Toyota has passed GM as the top global seller.  

Plumlee said he doesn’t think Toyota and GM are on level playing fields because Toyota, as a foreign company, gets subsidies from the United States, individual states and local governments to bring jobs here. 

The total subsidies given to foreign automakers is about $3.6 billion, according to Good Jobs First, a national policy resource center.  

Toyota has received more than $650 million of those subsidies, including $30 million to the Toyota plant in Princeton, according to Good Jobs First.  

This gives companies such as Toyota an unfair advantage against U.S., Plumlee said.  
Even with all the talk about who is No. 1 in global sales, McDonald said he believes customers look at other things when they are looking to buy a car.

“Consumers don’t buy the car because it is produced by the largest manufacturer,” McDonald said. “They buy a car because it meets their needs and meets their price range.”