General Motors regains its top position

2012 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1

The recession might have knocked General Motors (GM) down but it certainly didn’t knock them out. GM has picked itself up and managed to regain its former glory within two years of its emergence from bankruptcy. The company has reclaimed the title as the world’s biggest carmaker by snatching the lead from giants Volkswagen and Toyota.

GM was at the top of the sales charts until 2007 when the global recession and its consequent effects crippled the American and most of the global car industry.

Chevrolet is the leading brand for GM with global sales of 4.75 million units, which makes up more than half of GM’s global sales in 2011. Overall, GM’s worldwide sales went up by 7.6 per cent to 9 million vehicles with a 4.4 per cent rise in sales in the European market and a 3.9 per cent rise in the North American market.

GM has repaid $24.1 billion of the $49.5 billion in federal government aid it received in 2008.