Toyota Stays on Top Again
Toyota Motor Corp. finished 2025 right where it’s been for most of the past decade: leading the global sales race, Nikkei Asia reports. Toyota has now held the world’s best-selling automaker title for six years running, a streak that started back in 2020.
From January to November 2025, the Toyota group moved 10,327,976 vehicles worldwide. That figure counts Daihatsu and Hino, which still pull their weight in small cars and commercial vehicles. Of note, Toyota’s 11-month total already beat Volkswagen’s full-year sales.
The Volkswagen Group, meanwhile, ended 2025 with 8,983,900 vehicles sold worldwide – a slight dip of 0.5 percent from 2024. With Toyota’s numbers already ahead before December even wrapped, the outcome is clear.
Regional Differences in Momentum
The contrast between Toyota and Volkswagen becomes even clearer when you break it down by region. Volkswagen is still under pressure in China, its biggest market for years. It sold about 2.69 million vehicles there last year – an 8 percent drop – as local brands ramped up the fight in both EVs and traditional models.
Toyota, on the other hand, finally saw its first sales growth in China in four years. It’s unclear whether the Toyota RAV4 will reclaim its spot as the world’s best-selling vehicle, but we won’t be surprised if it does.
Volkswagen did have some wins. Sales in Europe held steady, and global EV deliveries jumped 32 percent to 983,100 units. Demand for EVs in Europe and the US outpaced last year, so the electrification push is working – just not enough to close the gap with Toyota. The uneven results across regions left Volkswagen well behind in the overall sales race.
Toyota
Stark Contrast in the US
In the US, Toyota and Volkswagen went in opposite directions. Toyota had a strong year, thanks to steady demand for hybrids and crossovers. Its early bet on hybrid tech is paying off as buyers want better fuel economy without going all-in on EVs.
Volkswagen, meanwhile, struggled in North America. With the Tiguan and Atlas as its best-sellers, VW of America’s US sales dropped 10.4 percent last year, squeezed by pricing pressure and tariffs, prompting the automaker to pause some models and rethink its strategy. Even with big investments in EVs, Volkswagen couldn’t keep up with Toyota or the top domestic brands.
Amos Kwon
