Toyota retains top auto crown in 2025 with record sales

Global group sales rose 4.6% from a year earlier, including the parent company's Toyota and Lexus brand vehicles as well as those sold by small-car unit Daihatsu and truck maker Hino Motors.

Second-ranked German rival Volkswagen Group reported this month that unit sales fell 0.5% last year to just under 9 million vehicles, as it seeks to cut costs at home and contend with intense competition in China.

Toyota's growth was driven mainly by sales in the U.S. and Japan, which together accounted for more than two-fifths of the parent company's sales.

Toyota and Lexus brand vehicle sales rose 3.7% in 2025 to 10.5 million, also a record, helped by strong demand for hybrid vehicles in the U.S.

Exports from Japan to the U.S. jumped 14.2% to about 615,000 vehicles, with the RAV4 SUV among the most popular models.

In China, Toyota's sales edged up 0.2%, the first time in four years they did not decline, despite the heavy competition in the world's top car market.

Gasoline-electric hybrids accounted for 42% of Toyota's parent company sales globally, while battery-electric vehicles made up 1.9%.