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Toyota dethrones GM to become top-selling automaker in the US

Toyota
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General Motors was unseated by Toyota as the nation's top-selling automaker.

In 2021, GM said sales were down nearly 13% while Toyota was up 10.4%.

According to CNBC, nearly 115,000 more Toyota vehicles were sold than GM vehicles last year.

GM had reportedly been the top-selling automaker in the U.S. since 1931 when it overtook Ford.

Toyota downplayed the accomplishment.

"Being number one is never a focus or priority. The company's focus has always been—and will continue to be—on being the best brand in terms of safety and quality in customers' minds," a Toyota spokesperson said in a statement to Car and Driver.

Overall, the U.S. auto industry is still dealing with low vehicle supplies caused by the global shortage of computer chips.

Cox Automotive expects 2021 sales to be 14.9 million vehicles, up 2.5% from 2020, the year the pandemic hit the U.S. But during the five years before the pandemic, sales averaged 17.3 million.