Toyota beats GM to take US sales crown

Toyota has made history by selling more cars than the mighty General Motors in a calendar year, with the Japanese car-maker becoming the first non-American brand to top the US sales charts last year since 1931.

Despite both the ongoing global pandemic and computer chip crisis, Toyota managed to rack up an incredible 2.332 million sales in the US in 2021, while GM could only manage to deliver 2.218 million cars and trucks.

To put those figures in perspective, GM's total volume was 13 per cent less over the previous year (2.55m), with the number of cars delivered down an incredible 43 per cent in the fourth quarter alone.

Total Toyota sales, meanwhile, were up 10 per cent compared to its 2020 performance.

Due to the shortage of semi-conductors, GM said it sacrificed total volume to focus on its most profitable models.

GM spokesman Jim Cain said that despite losing the top spot the Detroit auto-maker had a very strong year with its full-size SUVs and pick-ups.

He said the company is also confident that sales will improve as supply of semi-conductors ramps ups.

"I wouldn't rush out if I were (Toyota), and get a 'We're No. 1' tattoo," he told Reuters.

GM said an uplift in the American economy would also see total sales in the US increase to 16 million in 2022 – a cool million higher than the 2021 result – but still some way off the 17.3 million average set each year between 2015 and 2019.

Instead of celebrating its new lead, Toyota said it was "grateful" for its loyal customers and that becoming the best-selling car-maker in America was "never a focus or priority".

GM has ruled sales in the US since 1931, when it overtook fellow Detroit-born brand, Ford.

In 2021, analysts Edmunds noticed that the average new car transaction price hit new highs from $US39,984 ($A55,247) in November 2020 to $US45,872 ($A63,383) in November 2021.

Lack of supply and an abrupt end to the discount culture are said to be responsible for the leap in prices.