Toyota in 2021 overtook General Motors to become the biggest automaker in the U.S. by sales.
Toyota managed to sell 2.332 million vehicles across the country last year, up 10% on the 2.11 million it sold in 2020.
GM's sales last year came in at 2.218 million vehicles, down 13% on the 2.55 million it sold in 2020.
Rounding out the top three was Ford whose sales last year came in at 2.04 million vehicles, down 7% on its 2020 tally.
2020 Toyota Tacoma TRD Pro
GM had held the top spot since 1931, when it overtook Ford. The end of GM's dominance in 2021 is no doubt a reflection of the unique situation the industry is currently facing when it comes to supply shortages and other pandemic-related disruptions.
Total sales for the U.S. market last year came in at about 15 million vehicles, which was up 3.4% on 2020 but still down almost two million vehicles from 2019's pre-pandemic tally.
Fortunately, shortages appear to be easing. GM was able to deliver significantly more vehicles to dealerships in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter. The automaker told CNBC that dealer inventory (including vehicles in transit) was 199,662 vehicles at the end of the fourth quarter, up from 128,757 at the end of the third quarter.
The automaker also said it expects the improving situation in economic conditions and supply issues to result in total U.S. sales increasing to around 16 million vehicles in 2022.
