DETROIT – Toyota Motor has dethroned Common Motors as America’s top-selling automaker in 2021, marking the primary time since 1931 that the Detroit automaker wasn’t the best-selling automotive firm within the U.S.

It additionally marks the primary time a non-domestic automaker has taken the highest spot in America.

Toyota was in a position to handle provide chain points higher, permitting it to remove GM’s throne for the primary time in 90 years. An ongoing scarcity of semiconductor chips prompted sporadic shutdowns of vegetation and led to record-low automobile inventories in 2021.  

GM mentioned Tuesday it offered 2.2 million automobiles within the U.S. in 2021, down by 12.9% in comparison with the 12 months earlier. Toyota, by comparability, mentioned it offered 2.3 million automobiles within the U.S. final 12 months, up by 10.4% in comparison with 2020. The distinction in gross sales between the 2 automakers was 114,034 automobiles.

Jack Hollis, Toyota North America’s senior vice chairman of automotive operations, downplayed the corporate’s No. 1 rating.

“Sure, we did surpass Common Motors in gross sales,” he informed reporters throughout a name Tuesday. “However to be clear, that’s not our objective, nor can we see it as sustainable.”

GM has been the biggest vendor of automobiles within the U.S. since 1931, when it surpassed Ford Motor, in accordance with knowledge from business publication Automotive Information.

GM’s shares jumped by as a lot as 6% throughout intraday buying and selling Tuesday after it mentioned the chip scarcity was easing and it elevated manufacturing on the finish of the 12 months.

GM mentioned its fourth-quarter manufacturing and wholesale deliveries had been up considerably from the third quarter as provides elevated. Seller stock, together with in-transit automobiles on their technique to sellers, was 199,662 on the finish of the fourth quarter, up from 128,757 automobiles and vans on the finish of the third quarter.

Toyota was in a position to obtain the milestone by rising gross sales of each automobiles and vans final 12 months, regardless of a 25% decline in gross sales of its full-size Tundra pickup. Gross sales of its smaller Tacoma pickup elevated by 5.7% to 252,520 items.

It was a tough gross sales 12 months for GM because of the semiconductor chip scarcity. Gross sales of its extremely necessary Chevrolet Silverado pickup – its best-selling automobile – had been down by 10.8% to lower than 530,000 items.

Other than Ford, which offered 1.7 million automobiles via November, most main automakers are scheduled to report their fourth-quarter and 2021 complete home gross sales on Tuesday. New light-duty automobile gross sales are anticipated to be about 15 million in 2021.

Business analysts and forecasters are blended on their gross sales forecasts for 2022 because of the volatility available in the market. They vary from about 15.2 million automobiles to round 16 million automobiles or higher.

GM North America President Steve Carlisle mentioned the automaker plans to extend its gross sales and marker share subsequent 12 months, doubtlessly regaining its gross sales title.

“In 2022, we plan to reap the benefits of the sturdy economic system and anticipated improved semiconductor provides to develop our gross sales and share,” he mentioned in a launch Tuesday.