Move Over G.M., Toyota Is No. 1
Wednesday, April 25th, 2007 at 10:33 amDETROIT, April 24 — A quarter century ago, people in this city not only bashed the surging Japanese car companies with words, they also vented their frustration by swinging sledgehammers at Japanese cars, a way for some to raise money for charity (three swings for $1 at one event).
But on Tuesday, when the Toyota Motor Company officially took over bragging rights from General Motors as the world’s largest automaker, the sledgehammers were replaced by finger pointing — at Detroit itself, as well as Japan.
The prospect that Toyota might beat G.M. this year in global sales had been looming for some time, though the prospect still seemed very much in Detroit’s rearview mirror. Click here to read the rest of this article.