Toyota Motor has maintained, in 2025, for the sixth consecutive year the title of the best-selling car manufacturer in the world, after the Volkswagen AG group reported the figures for the past year, which do not exceed the total of the Japanese company in the first 11 months.
Toyota PHOTO: Shutterstock
Toyota sold 10.32 million vehicles worldwide in the period January-November 2025, while the German rival sold 8.98 million units as a whole last year, a decline of 0.5% compared to 2024.
Toyota, together with its subsidiaries Hino Motors and Daihatsu, is the world's best-selling car manufacturer in 2020, writes Agerpres.
In China, a major market for Volkswagen, sales fell by about 8 percent to 2.69 million vehicles amid intensifying competition from domestic automakers. China is the largest car market in the world.
Also, sales in North America registered a 10.4% decline last year, amid the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump.
In contrast, Volkswagen AG reported a 3.8% increase in sales in Europe to 3.38 million vehicles. In South America, the increase was even more solid, of 11.6%, to 663,000 units.
Globally, Volkswagen AG's electric vehicle (EV) sales rose 32% last year to 983,100 units, with figures in Europe and the United States well ahead of those in 2024.
“Above all, intense competition from China, customs duties and the end of electric vehicle subsidies in the US have affected our business. On the other hand, we have significantly expanded our position in Europe, despite the new competitors. And in South America we increased our market share”, appreciated Marco Schubert, member of the Board and responsible for sales of the Audi brand, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen group.
Analysts say 2026 will be a tough test for electric vehicles as Chinese automakers expand and consumer appetite remains uneven across Asia and Europe.
