Is General Motors on its Way Back to Being the No. 1 Car Maker this Year?

General Motors has been in extremely hot political water since the auto industry bailout from late last year. Prior to that, GM had faced a lot of economic, management and political challenges that one wondered how in the world it ever survived and thrived. For years, it has dominated the car industry with the massive demands and production of its line of iconic muscle cars. The entertainment industry has also played a huge role in ensuring the success of the all-American machine.

In the past couple of years, however, we saw how the mighty had fallen. Not that GM fell completely out of the scene, it merely slid down to the No. 2 spot as the world’s largest car maker. And who now holds its former glory? Not some royal European machine, but a once-lowly industrial brand from Japan, now transformed into the industry giant that is now known as Toyota.

Based on the 2008 ranking on the Fortune 500, Toyota is No. 1 in global unit sales. That says a lot about a company that once manufactured utterly unreliable cars, but now leads the way in pushing hybrid cars to the market. They were in fact one of the first brands to mass-produce and sell such cars. Today, with Toyota’s strong worldwide presence, innovative strategies and strong brand recognition, other car manufacturers, including General Motors, are finding it hard to keep up with Toyota’s pace.

So, will General Motors be able to reclaim its title as the “World’s Largest Automaker” this year? (It certainly is not the largest car maker anymore, but it sure still manufactures the largest cars in the world, and they are not that far behind Toyota.)

Our Predicto voters have spoken. 46% say yes, 54% say no so far. “Usertrlb4180” asserts that the government shouldn’t be the one to make GM get back its former glory, the people should. Well, if GM makes more eco-friendly cars and keep up with the way people have grown so accustomed to compact Japanese cars, maybe they will regain their spot soon enough. But as one of the voters aptly put it, “GM had their time. It’s time for another automaker to have theirs.”

With GM’s fresh funds from the government, it could now be up to something that could make everyone’s jaws drop. Before we know it, the company could be rolling out better cars that could give other automakers a run for their money.

Who else says GM will be No. 1 again this year? Who else says no, they won’t? Let us know what you think by visiting Predicto.com and voting (and leaving comments) on this survey.