• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Toyota is No. 3 — Third Automaker to Pass EV Tax Credit Threshold
  • Ford Gains Ground on Strong June Sales, Up 31.5% YOY
  • Q&A: Cadillac Lyriq Exterior Design Manager Josh Thurber
  • After 18% Sales Slide, Tesla No Longer World’s Best-Selling EV Brand
  • Get Updated on Cars, EVs and More with the Headlight News Podcast
  • Founder of Spartan Diesel Technologies Faces a Year in Jail for Selling Diesel Defeat Devices
  • What Costs More: New Car or Rent? The $1K a Month Car Payment Hit’s New Highs
  • The Rearview Mirror: The End of the Road for Route 66
  • Here We Go Again: Automakers Report June Sales Decline
  • Recession or Not, U.S. Car Market is in For a Big Boom
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2022 Lexus NX 350h
    • A Week With: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Overland
    • A Week With: 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan SE R-Line Black
    • First Drive: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades Edition
    • A Week With: 2022 Mazda3 2.5 S AWD Hatchback
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda HR-V
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor
    • A Week With: 2022 GMC Terrain AT4 AWD
    • A Week With: 2022 Cadillac Escalade Sport
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Pandemic Be Damned: Toyota Aiming for Record Global Sales

        Pandemic Be Damned: Toyota Aiming for Record Global Sales

        But automaker could face strong headwinds, including worsening shortage of microchips.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Feb. 04, 2021
        Toyota plant in Georgetown, Kentucky
        Toyota’s aiming to set a new production record in 2021, the year following the global pandemic.

        Toyota took a big hit from the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 but sees the new year as an opportunity to aim higher – significantly higher, in fact, with reports from well-placed sources in Japan indicating the company is targeting global production of 9.2 million in 2021.

        That would not just mark a big rebound from last year’s losses — 7.9 million units of Toyota-only vehicles, down 12.6% — but position the Japanese giant to set an all-time record – and put itself within reach of once again reining as the world’s number one automotive manufacturer.

        At the same time, Toyota is reportedly planning an increase in Japanese home-market production from 2.92 million last year to 3.2 million in 2021.

        Auto industry, as a whole, struggles to dig out from pandemic

        Toyota’s looking to hit production of 9.2 million units this year, eclipsing the previous mark of 9.05 million.

        The auto industry, as a whole, was hammered in 2020, global vehicle sales plunging to 76.5 million, according to IHS Markit. The industry peaked at 94.3 million in 2017.

        The good news is that the year ended on an upbeat note. China actually recovered from several years of decline and while the U.S. market was off by double digits, the final months of 2020 saw demand reach nearly pre-pandemic levels on the retail side of the market.

        Analysts and industry planners expect even better numbers this year, IHS estimating a 9% rebound to 83.4 million vehicles worldwide. But a number of the industry leaders TheDetroitBureau.com has reached out to report signs that the recovery could come faster than expected.

        2021 looking to be a solid year for sales

        “I’m hopeful that 2021 has the potential to be a very solid year,” Randy Parker, the new Senior Vice President of Sales for Hyundai Motor America said in an interview. Parker pointed to one of the industry sticking points, the collapse of travel and, in particular, a freeze last year in car purchases by daily rental fleets. But, with the travel industry beginning to regain momentum, he said, “The fleet companies are starting to raise their hands again and want production.”

        Strong demand for pickups should keep Toyota’s truck plant in San Antonio, Texas busy.

        Toyota has not yet responded to a request for comment on the reports indicating it will aim for record production this year. But, if proved accurate, the target of 9.2 million vehicles would mark a nearly 2% increase over the automaker’s prior record of 9.05 million vehicles in 2019.

        There could be numerous sticking points. Automakers around the world are still struggling to cope with the ongoing pandemic that require strict protocols to prevent the spread of the disease on plants floors, as Toyota officials in the U.S. noted last month during a media conference call.

        Toyota production plans could be derailed by chip shortage

        But it’s not just at company-owned plants. Some of the biggest bottlenecks come on the supplier side. And that’s where Toyota could run into production problems.

        While Toyota factories, particularly in the U.S., had been running flat out, in part to make up for volume lost during temporary factory closures last year, the carmaker has been hit at several locations by shortages of critical microchips.

        Toyota is by no means alone. Its main Japanese rivals have been forced to reduce or halt production at various plants, as have Western manufacturers including Ford and Volkswagen – General Motors halting production at four plants next week. The shortage of automotive chips could last until late in 2021, according to various experts.

        But, barring any worsening of the shortages, or further complications from COVID, Toyota is confident that it will have need to build record numbers of new vehicles in 2021 to respond to rebounding demand in key markets like the U.S. and China.

        Recently Published
        2023 Toyota bZ4X XLE FWD driving

        Toyota is No. 3 — Third Automaker to Pass EV Tax Credit Threshold

        Yesterday
        2022 Ford F-150 Tremor - front 3-4

        Ford Gains Ground on Strong June Sales, Up 31.5% YOY

        Yesterday

        Q&A: Cadillac Lyriq Exterior Design Manager Josh Thurber

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: