Toyota passes VW again to be world’s top automaker

Toyota has reclaimed the title of the world’s biggest automaker after the first nine months of 2015, dethroning Volkswagen AG which sold the most in the first half of the year. Toyota sold 7.49 million vehicles in the three quarters to the end of September, down 1.5% from the same period last year. VW of Germany sold 7.43 million vehicles, almost unchanged from the previous year, while GM sold 7.2 million vehicles, down 1%. VW has yet to see the full impact of its diesel engines emissions cheat scandal.

Volkswagen can say goodbye to being the biggest player for the near future. We haven’t yet seen the full impact of the damage to the firm, and the scandal has killed the diesel market in the US.

David Bailey, professor of industrial strategy at Aston University

Detroit-based GM was the top-selling automaker for more than seven decades until being surpassed by Toyota in 2008. GM retook the sales crown for one year in 2011, when a tsunami and quake disaster struck northeastern Japan, disrupting production. Toyota made a big comeback in 2012, and has been the top automaker for the past three years. Last year, Toyota, which makes the Prius hybrid, Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models, sold 10.23 million vehicles.

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