Global automakers are stepping on the gas. First-place Toyota Group celebrates “a rebound from a decline caused by an impact from the tight supply of semiconductors and the spread of COVID-19 in the previous year.” In April, its global production was up 8.3%, pointing to increased sales in the coming months.
Volkswagen Group, up 14.3% YTD, is back in the groove. In April, global Volkswagen Group deliveries rose an astounding 39.4% YOY.
3rd-ranked Hyundai Group, up 11.6% YOY, maintains its robust and steady growth. Only 375K units behind Volkswagen AG, Hyundai stands a slim chance of passing by the Germans.
And now for the usual disclaimer: Daily Kanban ranks world’s largest automakers by sales, as reported by the automaker. We used to determine the largest automaker in the world by looking at production, because this was how the global automaker umbrella association OICA had done it in the past. OICA seems to have thrown-in the towel, and you no longer will find any recent auto manufacturer rankings on the previously authoritative OICA website, neither by production, nor by sales. Reliable production data are harder and harder to come by, forcing us to switch to sales/delivery data published by automakers. Be aware that “deliveries” can be a rather elastic term. Deliveries can be sales to end users, or cars dumped on dealer lots, or cars “delivered” to sales organizations, or combinations thereof.
