The last time that Ford overtook General Motors as the best selling automaker in the U.S. was in 1930. But as they say, records are made to be broken. And according to industry analysts, FoMoCo may very well take the first spot this year as the 'New GM' will emerge from Chapter 11 with just four brands -Chevrolet, Cadillac, GMC and Buick. According to Autodata Corp., the four brands of the 'New GM' accounted for 16.5 percent of the U.S. market in the month of June while FoMoCo's share not including Volvo that's up for grabs, was 17.2 percent.
John Wolkonowicz, an industry analyst with IHS Global Insight, told Bloomberg News that "Ford is on a real roll right now," and that the automaker "could overtake GM this year."
"A lot of Pontiac buyers, young, blue-collar women, may not like the rest of the GM lineup," Wolkonowicz added. "They're certainly not going to buy a Buick."
But does it really matter who takes the first spot in sales? Well, it certainly makes the company's employees feel proud for their work, but that's about it. Don't forget, GM was the global leader and look where the automaker is now.