Toyota or Chevy: Which is America's Best Selling Brand?

Robert Farago
by Robert Farago

As Bloomberg reports, it all comes down to this: do you count Scion sales in Toyota's sales totals or not? If you do, Toyota can– and will– claim bragging rights as America's best-selling car brand, topping the '07 sales charts. If you don't count Scion, Chevrolet reclaims its title from Ford; an honor Chevy last earned in 2005. "Through November… Toyota sold 2,101,804 cars and light trucks, for a 35,524-unit advantage. Without Scion's 121,237 vehicles, Chevrolet would be on top by 85,713." Argument for Scion's inclusion: "Toyota spokesman Xavier Dominicis: 'We've always counted it that way, and it's sold only at Toyota dealerships.'" Supporting logic: Lexus products aren't considered Toyotas because they're sold in discreet dealerships. Autodata includes Scion in its Toyota-brand total. Argument against assumptive Sciontology: "'I don't think for a second that Scion is a Toyota vehicle; it's clearly its own brand,'' said Tom Libby, an analyst for J.D. Power and Associates. 'You might as well count Pontiac vehicles as Chevrolet sales if you think Scion's a Toyota.''" Supporting logic: Libby's employer and Ward's Automotive separate Scion from Toyota in their tallies. To its credit, Bloomberg plays the GEO card; the now-defunct brand (R.I.P. 1977) brand sold through Chevy dealerships. Back in the day, GM combined GEO and Chevy's sales totals. Ah, but according to Chevy flack Terrance Rhadigan, GEOs wore the Chevrolet bow tie, while Scion's aren't branded Toyota. We report, you decide.

Robert Farago
Robert Farago

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  • Starlightmica Starlightmica on Jan 03, 2008

    Toyota cars + Scion = 1,313,651 Toyota trucks = 977,997 Total Toyota, per the big T: 2,291,648 Total Toyota, per GM: 2,161,467 Toyota USA 2007: up 6% (2.62 million) Chevrolet = 2,265,641 GM USA 2007: down 6% (3.87 million) BTW, Tundra missed the 200K sales target: 196,555

  • I6 I6 on Jan 03, 2008

    If Scion isn't a distinct brand, what the hell is it? A marketplace muddler?

  • Jthorner Jthorner on Jan 03, 2008
    "If Scion isn’t a distinct brand, what the hell is it? A marketplace muddler?" Yes.
  • Steven Lang Steven Lang on Jan 03, 2008

    Scion is a visionary new offering that has lost it's vision of what to offer. The old X's were pretty interesting vehicles. The new ones are just plain ugly and pointless. They may as well have put a sign in the middle of each of them that says, "Put big gulp here!" As far as the Tc goes... great car! But what would really be wrong with just calling it a Scion Celica. Heck you can put in a Scion Supra with 450+ hp, a Scion MR3 hardtop and convertible (make it look more like the 2nd generation MR2), keep the last gen Xb and offer more modifications and options, and make the Xa a direct answer to the Honda Fit. Give it a little more room than the Fit and make it a showcase for all the electronic gadgetry with a GPS, Ipod, Bluetooth, and maybe throw in a five year subscription to XM/Sirius satellite radio. Scion would be one helluva car division with that combination. Hmmm... now that Jim Press has left Toyota maybe I should get out my rolodex for all my connections in Torrance. Wait a sec... they all deal with Toyota repos. Never mind.

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