The automotive industry has witnessed a change of leadership as Volkswagen regained its biggest automaker crown from Toyota for the first six months of the current year. The Japanese car maker has been leading the pack consecutively for the last four years.
The global sales of the German manufacturer grew by 1.5 percent to 5.12 million cars in the first half of the current calendar year. VW makes brands like Audi, Skoda, Porsche and Bentley.
The Toyota’s sales decreased by 0.6 percent to 4.99m units in the corresponding period. The key reasons for depressed performance are declining North America sales and disaster struck factories affecting production. Toyota is currently struggling with safety issues, as it called back millions of cars world over including a deadly explosion crisis at its supplier Takata.
The VW was also ahead of Toyota for the first six months of 2015, but last September, the emissions scandal struck resulting in plummeting sales for the company. Also known as the diesel scandal, the company ended up paying a total amount in excess of €18bn. The adverse effects of the scandal seem to be receding as indicated by the robust sales for the first six months of 2016, which are being attributed to strong performance in the Chinese market.
Toyota is down for now, but we should never write the king off, as we look forward to the next six months of the current year to have the best biggest automaker of 2016.