GM regains top spot, and we now have a race

General Motors outsold Toyota during 2007's third quarter (2.38 million versus 2.34 million) as well as during the first nine months of the year ( 7.06 versus 7.05 million), the AP reports. During the first quarter of this year Toyota surpassed GM in global sales for the first time, and then fell slightly behind GM in the second quarter but still had the lead in year-to-date global sales for the first six months of the year.

With news of Toyota's recent slip in Consumer Reports reliability ratings survey, loss of top marketing executives and GM's attempts to bolster sales overseas, it looks like the last quarter of 2007 will be a highly competitive and hard fought race to the finish line for the top spot in the industry.

Earlier this year Toyota announced it would be taking a run at the 30-year-old global sales record held by GM and said it plans to sell 10.4 million cars globally in 2009. We have provided extensive coverage of Toyota’s rise over the past year including its surpassing GM as the world’s top auto seller, its entry into NASCAR, the launch of the 2007 Tundra, and the big three’s reaction to the Japanese automakers’ rise.