Toyota: new King in town

It is real. It is a milestone. It is something that seems like a new age:

• Toyota Motor Corp. became the world's top auto seller in the first three months of the year, passing rival General Motors Corp. for the first time, the Japanese automaker said Tuesday.

It is bad news for GM? Possibly, no. Wagoner was cutting fleet contracts, which contribute mainly to poor margins. But Toyota is telling to the world, that its long term strategy is paying off. Toyota long term strategy focus on quality and efficiency is paying off.

Let's see, if automakers will learn the same way Boeing did in the past. Boeing faced EADS (Airbus), and is again on top of the hill.

Again, automakers need new corporate leadership like Sloan or Iacocca.

GM announces hybrid SUV with lithium ion batteries

Rick Wagoner, GM Chairman and CEO, has said on November, 29:

"GM Announces Intention to Produce Plug-in Hybrid SUV
Saturn Vue Green Line Will Use Modified 2-mode Hybrid System, Lithium Ion Battery
LOS ANGELES – General Motors Corp. intends to produce a Saturn Vue Green Line plug-in hybrid that has the potential to achieve double the fuel efficiency of any current SUV, the automaker announced at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show.
This hybrid SUV will use a modified version of GM’s 2-mode hybrid system and plug-in technology, a Lithium Ion battery pack when ready, highly efficient electronics and powerful electric motors to achieve significant increases in fuel economy.
“GM has begun work on a Saturn Vue plug-in hybrid production vehicle,” said Rick Wagoner, GM Chairman and CEO. “The technological hurdles are real, but we believe they are also surmountable. I can’t give you a production date for our plug-in hybrid today. But I can tell you that this is a top priority program for GM, given the huge potential it offers for fuel-economy improvement.”
A plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle differs from non-plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles by offering extended electric-only propulsion, additional battery capacity and the ability to be recharged from an external electrical outlet.
The Saturn Vue Green Line plug-in hybrid is expected to offer electric-only propulsion for more than 10 miles."

So, GM doesn't have the lithium ion battery technology yet. Which will be the supplier?