Toyota becomes world's biggest car-maker

Toyota Motor Corporation overtook the mighty Volkswagen Group last year to become the world's biggest-selling car-maker, ending VW's five-year reign as top dog.

In a year where sales were decimated by the global pandemic, Toyota's global sales volume dipped an alarming 11.3 per cent to 9.528 million vehicles in 2020.

That still compares favourably with Volkswagen, which saw the total number of cars it delivered fall by 15.2 per cent to 9.305 million, losing its valuable lead to the Japanese car-maker.

The explanation over Toyota's more modest hit in sales is down to the strength of the Japanese market, and others in Asia, which were less affected by the outbreak than Europe and the US.

Breaking down the 2020 figures, Toyota said that the ratio of electrified vehicles it sold increased from 20 per cent in 2019 to 23 per cent in 2020.