Toyota is now officially the best-selling carmaker in the world in 2012. The Japanese carmaker posted a 22.6-percent increase group-wide sales record of 9.75 million vehicles around the world in 2012, outselling close rivals General Motors and Volkswagen. The carmaker’s 2012 full year sales result was in accordance with its forecast in December 2012. Toyota’s sales allowed the carmaker to regain the world No. 1 spot that it failed to defend in 2011 after suffering from a number of adverse events: the natural disasters in Japan and Thailand that disrupted its supply chain and the negative publicity brought about by the recall crisis in the United States. Toyota was the top-selling carmaker in the world from 2008 to 2010, but it dropped to third in 2011 behind GM and VW. For 2012, GM posted a 2.9-percent jump in sales to 9.28 million vehicles, while Volkswagen logged an 11.2-percent increase to 9.07 million units.
For 2013, Toyota aims to post a 1.6-percent increase in global sales to 9.91 million vehicles group-wide. Toyota’s figures include sales at Daihatsu Motor Co and Hino Motors Ltd. Toyota-only sales jumped 22.8-percent to a record-high 8.72 million vehicles in 2012. Fellow Japanese carmakers Nissan Motor Co and Honda Motor Co sold 4.94 million and 3.82 million vehicles, respectively, globally in 2012.
