Toyota beats Volkswagen in global car sales in 2014

Taking the top slot of 2014, Toyota beats Volkswagen in terms of sales figures worldwide.

For the third year in succession, Toyota Motor Corporation remains on top as the global leader in car sales. The Japanese automaker sold 10.23 million vehicles and expects the numbers fall further to 10.15 million units in 2015.

Sales in Japan took a hit following a sales tax hike, and the situation is expected to get worse in 2015. Toyota expects the sales figures in overseas markets to grow by 2% from 7.9 million vehicles to more than 8 million.

Volkswagen sold 10.14 million vehicles in 2014 which is not too far behind if seen from a distance. The units sold in 2014 were 4% more than those in 2013. The American counterpart, General Motors, sold a record 9.92 million vehicles worldwide. In the US, Toyota grew by 6%, 13% in China and 10% in Brazil.

Volkswagen, on the other hand, has been doing slow but steady progress from the last few years. Beating GM for the first time in 2013, Volkswagen did it for the second time in two years, but a lot can be credited to the trucks that Volkswagen makes but GM doesn’t.