Volkswagen has been named the world's best-selling automaker for the first time in 2016, beating Toyota Motor Corp., results showed on Monday.
Volkswagen, which also owns the Audi, Porsche, Skoda, and Bentley brands, delivered a record-high 10.3 million vehicles last year. The German company saw a 3.8 percent growth compared with that of in 2015, thanks to the high demand from China. The achievement comes despite Volkswagen's recent emission test scandal that sparked global backlash and lawsuits, BBC reported.
Sales of the Toyota group, on the other hand, edged 0.2 percent from that of in 2015 to 10.17 million units globally last year. For the first time in 2011, Toyota, which include Hino Motors Ltd. and Daihatsu Motor Co., fell on the top spot after manufacturer's supply chains have been affected by the earthquake that resulted to tsunami no north-eastern Japan.
"At Toyota, we are not focused on chasing volume. We believe that our sales volume is just the results of our focus on making ever-better cars and providing better customer experiences," the Japanese manufacturer said.
"Our goal is to be No 1 with consumers by engineering and producing ever-better cars. We are grateful to every customer who has chosen a Toyota vehicle," it continued.
Sascha Gommel, an analyst in Frankfurt's Commerzbank AG, told Bloomberg that the development of the US is anticipated to decide Toyota's fate this year, noting that Volkswagen is likely to hold its top position in 2017 if both China and Europe continue to be solid while the US weakens.
Toyota is also facing new obstacles after President Donald Trump criticized the company particularly for its investment in Mexico, the Fortune Times reported. In response, the Japanese car maker committed to invest $10 billion in the US over the next five years and has also added 400 new jobs to its Princeton, Indiana plant.
General Motors is set to release its figures next week; however, analysts do not expect it will surpass both the Japanese and German automakers.
Meanwhile, check out the spotted 2017 Toyota Supra that is expected to make its debut at this year's Tokyo Auto Show: