Toyota to dethrone General Motors on US sales charts

The race is on in the United States for the highest-selling automotive manufacturer of the year, as Toyota has passed General Motors three-quarters of the way into 2021.

According to US publication Motor1, Toyota has sold 1,857,884 vehicles to the end of September while GM has only delivered 1,777,483 in the same period – a difference of 80,401.

Although this isn't a massive disparity between the two, it's enough to give Toyota a marginal lead going into the final three months of the year, however both manufacturers are currently struggling to keep cars rolling off the production line thanks to the global semi-conductor shortage.

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The Chevrolet Silverado is still GM's top-selling vehicle

For GM, previous reports have showed the automotive giant has been parking up to 1000 incomplete vehicles a day due to a shortage of semi-conductors, while Toyota has been facing production pauses in its factories in Japan as well as the United States.

The third quarter of 2021 was GM's worst since the 2009 Global Financial Crisis in which it was bailed out by the United States Government, and it could be on track for its lowest volume year since the 1950s.

If Toyota is able to knock GM off its perch at the top of the sales charts, it will be the first time in 90 years for the American giant hasn't been the best-selling automotive manufacturer, spanning back to the Great Depression.

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Toyota's RAV4 stands as its best performing vehicle in the US (Australian model shown)

As reported last week, Toyota Australia provided an update to local media about its own semi-conductor shortages, claiming one-third of its models will be delayed by four months or less, up to three-quarters of its range could be postponed by as much as six months.

Despite this, the manufacturer shifted 20,107 vehicles in September, an all-time record for the month, contributing to its year-to-date sales total of 176,661 units.