Toyota returns to number one

Toyota has officially reclaimed its position as the world’s number one car-maker by reporting total sales of 9.74 million Toyota, Lexus, Hino and Daihatsu vehicles in 2012.

The near-10 million figure represents a 22.6 per cent increase on Toyota’s global tally in 2011, when production was heavily impacted by the Japanese tsunami and Thai flooding.

Buoyed by strong sales in North America and Japan (where government incentives helped fuel a 35 per cent sales spike to 2.41 million vehicles), Toyota’s 2012 tally exceeded its own sales forecast of 8.48 million.

Perhaps more importantly, it was also enough to eclipse General Motors, which analysts expect will report 9.29 million sales in 2012, relinquishing the global number one crown it reclaimed from Toyota in 2010 after the Japanese giant broke the US company’s 77-year run as the world’s biggest car-maker during the GFC in 2008.

Volkswagen was the world’s third-largest auto-maker last year with 9.07 million vehicles – the first time the German conglomerate has surpassed nine million annual sales – and now appears likely to achieve its target of becoming number one and selling 10 million vehicles annually earlier than planned in 2018.

Hyundai sold 4.66 million vehicles last year and its sister brand Kia sold 2.71 million, giving the South Korean car-maker a total of 7.37 million sales in 2012 for the year – 84,000 up on the 6.53 million it sold in 2011.

The Nissan-Renault Alliance is yet to report its 2012 sales, but is unlikely to topple VW from third place, while former top-three maker Ford yesterday reported global sales of just 5.7 million units (up 54,000 from 2011), helping it to its fourth consecutive year of profits.

Toyota’s return to global dominance came despite its first sales decline in China, the world’s biggest single automotive market, since 2002 – the result of a consumer backlash following the territorial dispute between Japan and the world’s most populous nation over the Senkaku/Diaoyu islands.

Just 745,000 Toyota-branded vehicles were sold in China last year, while GM sold a record 2.8 million there - up 11.3 per cent on 2011 – to be roughly in line with market leader VW, whose sales were up 24.5 per cent in China.

In contrast, Toyota increased its market share in North America last year to 14.4 per cent (up from 12.9 per cent), narrowing the gap to GM’s 17.9 per cent share. VW’s North American arm grew its sales by 26 per cent to 841,500 units.

Toyota, which was Australia’s number one vehicle brand for the 10th consecutive year in 2012, says it is now aiming for record global sales of 9.91 million vehicles in 2013.

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