Toyota sells 9.75 m vehicles in 2012; regains global top spot

Reuters: Toyota Motor Corp won back the crown as the world’s top selling automaker in 2012, posting record-high sales to beat rivals General Motors and Volkswagen.

Toyota said on Monday it sold 9.75 million vehicles group-wide around the world last year, a record for the 75-year-old Japanese automaker and up 22.6 per cent from 2011 when it was hit by a US recall and disrupted supply chains following an earthquake in Japan and floods in Thailand.

The Toyota group also includes sales by Daihatsu Motor Co and Hino Motors Ltd. Toyota on its own sold 8.72 million vehicles, including the Lexus premium brand.

General Motors sold 9.28 million vehicles in 2012, up 2.9 per cent from a year ago, while Volkswagen sold 9.07 million vehicles, up 11.2 per cent.