Volkswagen on GM’s heels for second place in world car sales

General Motors remained second in global car sales last year behind Toyota, but third-place Volkswagen narrowed the gap, according to figures issued by the companies Tuesday on the sidelines of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

GM, which had been the world’s biggest carmaker before its 2009 bankruptcy reorganisation, had unit sales grow 4.5 per cent in 2013 to 9.715 million cars. The Detroit-based company’s sales include European subsidiary Opel.

VW had an edge in growth at 4.8 per cent, reaching what it said was more than 9.7 million vehicle sales. The figure includes VW’s lorry subsidiaries MAN and Scania, which had combined sales of about 200,000; excluding the heavy trucks, VW sold about 9.5 million cars.

The German company’s management is pursuing the goal of becoming the leading global carmaker by 2018.

Industry analysts expect Toyota to remain number one for 2013, though the Japanese carmaker has not yet reported sales figures.

Smaller carmakers including luxury brands Infiniti, Acura and Cadillac, mid-market firm Subaru and electric pioneer Tesla took off the wraps Tuesday in Detroit for their latest offerings.

More than 60 new concept and production cars were presented for the first time for the automotive press at the Detroit show, which launches the annual calendar of international auto shows.

The industry’s biggest players had the spotlight Monday, as Ford and GM showed off new pickup trucks, GM’s mass-market brand Chevrolet unveiled its latest Corvette sports car, Fiat-owned Chrysler introduced a new version of the mid-sized 200 sedan, and Honda delivered its new Fit subcompact.

In the German-dominated luxury segment, which is growing faster than broader car sales in all major markets worldwide, Daimler mounted the global debut of the next generation of its Mercedes-Benz C class.

Munich-based BMW introduced sporty new models of its M3 and M4, and VW-owned Audi pulled back the curtain on a plug-in concept car.

The US car industry has regained its footing since the 2007—09 recession, which left GM and Chrysler in government-led bankruptcies.

Chrysler emerged as a subsidiary of Fiat, which is expected to complete its acquisition this month of a 100—per—cent stake.

GM, which in the process lost its decades-old title as the world’s most prolific carmaker to Toyota, only became fully privatised again when the US government sold its last shares on December 9. The next day, career GM engineer Mary Barra was named chief executive. She officially takes the helm Wednesday, becoming the first woman to lead a major global carmaker.

The Detroit exhibit floor opened Monday for press previews, with viewings for industry insiders beginning Wednesday and the public admitted starting Saturday through January 26.