ToyotaSales in the United States surpassed that of General Motors for the first time in the second quarter.It is expected to become the best-selling carmaker in the United States.

Toyota reported Thursday that it sold 688813 vehicles in the United States in the second quarter, surpassing GM's 688236. Toyota's sales exceeded market expectations, while GM fell short of expectations.

This change is caused by a global shortage of chips, which has seriously hindered automobile production. Japanese carmakers, especially Toyota, handled the crisis better than their American rivals.

Ford MotorSecond-quarter sales figures will be reported on Friday morning local time, and unless the company's second-quarter sales far exceed analysts' expectations of 645000 vehicles, Toyota will firmly take the top spot. Ford had previously said it expected to halve its production in the second quarter because of chip shortages.

The last time GM lost its quarterly sales title in the United States was in the third quarter of 1998, during the Great Recession, when it was overtaken by Ford.