GM and VW argues over who has the biggest sales number

Carmakers Volkswagen and General Motors are keen to grab the top spot, especially now that Japanese volume king, Toyota is still dazed from the double whammy that hit Fukushima and Thailand, their two major component supply network.

GM claims they have the top spot with over 9million cars sold and they are also over the moon that Chevrolet sold 4.76 million vehicles in 2011.

VW says that the numbers are not an accurate reflection of the global sales figures because GM includes in their tally, sales of vehicles by associate Chinese carmakers which they do not have controlling interests in.

According to reports, Liuzhou Wuling Motors sold 1.2 million vehicles in China last year and if this number is taken away from GM's global total it would fall behind the VW Group.

All said and done Toyota is expected to shift about 7.9 million vehicles this year, six per cent less than in 2010 while VW is expected to move 8.39 million vehicles this year.

The Renault-Nissan Alliance may be able to claim 8.03 million in sales if you count them as one company and include AutoVAZ sales into their pool, Renault has 25-per cent stake in the Russian company.


Further controversy may cloud third place on the list, as the Nissan-Renault partnership may have passed Toyota in the rankings, according to the report. That is, if you accept the notion that Nissan and Renault are one company and that Renault's AvtoVAZ subsidiary should have its sales numbers count. Renault has a 25-percent state in the Russian company, notes the report.

Since there's little agreement about what rules should govern the accounting, until one of the top four really separates itself from the rest and pushes its total sales over 10 million vehicles, we will likely continue to see the annual global sales championship end in argument. VW, for what it's worth, seems hell-bent on becoming the undisputed largest car company, having repeatedly stated its intention to top 10 million sales.