Q. I heard a segment on the local news that General Motors had overtaken Toyota in becoming the No. 1 seller in the world. Is that true?
-- Bobby Landers, Monroe
A. General Motors' strong sales in the first half of 2011 helped it supplant Toyota at No. 1 in global auto sales, according to the Associated Press. General Motors, which remains partly owned by the U.S. government after its bailout, sold 4.5 million vehicles worldwide in the first six months of 2011, earning $5.7 billion. GM's sales in China have been particularly strong in its recovery, with the company selling 1.27 million cars and light trucks there, AOL's Daily Finance reported. Volkswagen was second with a total of 4.13 million cars sold and Toyota was third with 3.7 million. Toyota's reputation has been damaged by recalls, and its sales plummeted after the March earthquake and tsunami, which slowed auto parts production in Japan. Toyota sales were down 11 percent from the first half of 2010, including 62 percent from April-June, after the earthquake. At the same time GM had its sixth straight profitable quarter, with net income of $2.5 billion. GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2009, losing the top-selling title, but re-emerged soon after, with $50 billion in funds from the government bailout.
Lori Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
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