随着全球经济恶化，汽车市场集体遭遇“滑铁卢”。通用汽车公司公布2008年销量下降11%，将保持了77年的销售龙头宝座拱手让与丰田。日本丰田汽车公布的数据显示，2008年全球销售量较上年下降4%，为2001年现行统计方式启用以来首次出现年度销量下滑。通用汽车去年全球销售总额为83.5亿美元，而日本丰田汽车则为89.7亿美元。两家公司在销售规模不断缩小的情况下完成了销量龙头的易主。

Hundreds of new cars of US carmaker General Motors remain at the GM car park in Sao Bernardo do Campo, 25 km south of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

General Motors was eclipsed by Toyota as the world's largest automaker for the first time in 77 years as the troubled American giant Wednesday reported sharply lower global sales.

Reeling from plunging² sales at home and abroad amid a widening recession, GM said it sold 8.35 million vehicles globally in 2008 compared with the Japanese rival's 8.97 million.

GM's total sales were down 11 percent from those in 2007, reflecting continuing global economic pressures that include tightening³ credit, falling commodity prices and lack of economic growth.

GM said its nearly three percent growth in both the Asia Pacific and Latin America, Africa and Middle East regions partially⁴ offset⁵ North America sales that declined 21 percent, and growing pressure in Europe that resulted in seven percent fewer sales. Sales for the fourth quarter were down by double digits⁶ in every region and 26 percent globally.

"The challenges in the global financial markets, including credit tightening, the drop in commodity prices, and economic uncertainty⁷ continue to negatively impact overall demand for new vehicles," said Jonathan Browning, GM's vice⁸ president for global sales.

"For the total global industry, we saw about 3.5 million fewer vehicles sold in 2008 than the previous year."

GM and Toyota ended 2007 neck-in-neck for the world crown, with Toyota selling about 3,500 fewer vehicles that year compared to its US rival.

But both are facing a bumpy⁹ ride amid the sharp global economic slowdown stemming from financial turmoil¹⁰ triggered by a US home mortgage crisis.

Toyota said Tuesday its global sales fell four percent in 2008 to 8.97 million vehicles, the first drop in a decade, as demand slumped¹² in recession-hit markets such as Japan, Europe and the United States.

It was the first decline for the Japanese giant in a decade, with domestic sales slipping five percent to 2.15 million vehicles and overseas demand weakening four percent to 6.82 million vehicles.

The drop marked a dramatic turnaround from 2007, when Toyota's global sales had risen six percent to a record high 9.37 million vehicles.

The Japanese maker¹ warned last month that it expected its first-ever annual operating loss as it moved to cut production, jobs and investment amid a slump¹¹ in sales and a soaring yen¹³.

GM meanwhile will run out of cash if it does not get the second part of the federal bridge loan next month.

GM president Fritz Henderson said the situation was dire¹⁴ for his company, which received a four-billion-dollar emergency loan last month and is due to collect another installment¹⁵ of the bridge loan in February.

"If we don't get our second installment of funding, we'll run out of cash. It's just that simple," Henderson said Tuesday.

He noted¹⁶ that GM would run out of cash well before March 31 when it is supposed to deliver the final draft of its plan outlining the steps it is taking to become financially viable¹⁷.

But Henderson said he was not concerned about Toyota passing GM in unit sales.

"I actually noticed they passed us in market (capitalization), cash flow and profitability a long ago," he said. "Honestly, this is not a measure I pay a lot of attention to. What's much more important to me is how we make GM successful," he said.

Despite the sagging¹⁸ 2008 global sales, GM set record-setting sales performance in Latin America, Africa and Middle East and Asia Pacific regions.

GM also notched¹⁹ a third consecutive²⁰ year of two million vehicles sold in Europe.

Sales outside the US now account for 64 percent of GM's sales, up from 59 percent in 2007.

GM sells and services vehicles in 140 countries under 13 brands including Chevrolet, Opel, Wuling, GMC, Buick, Pontiac, Cadillac and Saab.