Toyota still emerges as the number one automaker of 2014, beating other large companies like Volkswagen and General Motors. The prestigious car producer sold about 10.23 million cars last year while the German competitor, Volkswagen sold 10.14 million automobiles.
However, Toyota is still a bit worried because it is expected that their sales will decline and Volkswagen will eventually catch up to them and steal the top spot. If this forecast is correct, Volkswagen will lead in the automobile industry for the first time.
Toyota was able to break General Motors’ ten-year reign as the top car producer in 20008. Unfortunately, they lost the title three years later when a big tsunami devastated Japan, disrupting the flow of production.
Eventually, it was able to steal the crown from GM, which sells popular and luxury car brands. In the past year, the Japanese car company still sits at the top car company spot but its future is still uncertain because there is a possibility that Asian markets will become weaker, especially in countries like Thailand and Indonesia, where there is a brewing political feud.
There is also a fear that Toyota’s good name will be challenged because of the millions of car recalls worldwide. These vehicle recalls are usually due to various problems regarding safety like the exploding air bags.
Toyota is doing a lot of deliberation and brainstorming regarding marketing and production strategy in order to avoid this problem. Toyota is pushing for the fast growth of environment-friendly vehicles especially in China, where there is a worsening air pollution problem.
