Toyota retains top auto crown in 2025 with record sales

[TOKYO] Toyota Motor sold a record 11.3 million vehicles globally in 2025, the company said on Thursday, retaining its crown as the world’s top-selling automaker for a sixth consecutive year.

Global group sales rose 4.6 per cent 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 per cent 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 US 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 per cent in 2025 to 10.5 million, also a record, helped by strong demand for hybrid vehicles in the US.

Exports from Japan to the US jumped 14.2 per cent to about 615,000 vehicles, with the RAV4 SUV among the most popular models.

SEE ALSO

BYD weighs India expansion as hundreds of car orders pile up

BMW’s first Asian head for Asia-Pacific sales wants to foster more talent from region

BYD dominates new car sales in Singapore with over 20% market share

EVs made up record 45% of new car registrations in Singapore for 2025

More

DECODING ASIA

Navigate Asia in
a new global order

Get the insights delivered to your inbox.

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

Petrol-electric hybrids accounted for 42 per cent of Toyota’s parent company sales globally, while battery-electric vehicles made up 1.9 per cent. REUTERS