Japanese auto giant Toyota sold 10 million vehicles in 2015

Volkswagen AG’s prospects were hampered by the dieselgate.

Toyota Motor Corporation did good to retain the global sales crown for the fourth consecutive calendar year. The Japanese auto giant said that it sold 10.15 million vehicles in 2015 which is 0.8% less than what it managed in 2014.

While Toyota posted good growth in the US market, declining Southeast Asia markets hampered overall sales growth. Toyota Group’s sales also includes sales of its subsidiaries Daihatsu and Hino motors. Toyota is reportedly planning to make Daihatsu its fully owned subsidiary in the near future (current stake stands at 51.2%).

Last year, the global sales race was closely faught between Toyota, Volkswagen and General Motors. If it’s not for Volkswagen’s diselgate scandal in the later part of 2015, the German automaker could have ended the year as the world’s largest automaker. Despite the setback, VW Group managed to edge past GM to seal the second place with total global sales of 9.9 millions in 2015.

Thanks to surge in the US and strong performance in China, GM was not far behind either. With total sales of 9.8 million units last year, the American stalwart is very much in contention this year as well. According to IHS Automotive’s estimate, around 90 million vehicles were sold in 2015. The big three account for nearly one-third of the global auto market.

The article first appeared in www.rushlane.com

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