Toyota Tops Global Auto Sales for the Sixth Consecutive Year

The Toyota Motor Group, which includes Daihatsu and Hino Motors, sold a total of 10,327,976 vehicles worldwide during the period from January to November 2025, marking a year-on-year increase of 4.8%. Even without calculating the results for December, it is clear that Toyota outperformed its German rival Volkswagen, whose sales for the full year, from January to December 2025, totaled 8,983,900 vehicles, a decline of 0.5% compared to the same period in 2024.

While the sales results for some other major automakers have yet to be confirmed, it is certain that Toyota and Volkswagen will be in first and second place, respectively, because they typically far outsell the other top-ranked global companies. The third-place automaker in 2025 was Hyundai Motor and Kia (South Korea), with 7.3 million vehicles sold. In 2024, the top three positions in the global sales ranking were the same as in 2025, while General Motors (United States) and Stellantis (Europe) placed fourth and fifth, respectively.

In 2025, the tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump battered global markets. Despite tariffs on Japanese vehicles being raised from 2.5% to 15%, Toyota’s exports to the United States, which account for 30% of its overall exports, totaled 560,000 vehicles for the period from January to November. This already surpasses the full-year result for 2024 of 530,000 vehicles sold.

Meanwhile, the Toyota Group’s consolidated results for the fiscal year ending March 2026 show that operating profits, which constitute the core of its earnings, are forecasted to be ¥3.4 trillion, a 30% year-on-year decrease. The negative impact on profits from tariffs is expected to be around ¥1.5 trillion. Although Toyota was able to maintain its number of vehicles sold by lowering prices for the US market, so as to absorb the tariff increase, this resulted in a sharp decline in profits.

Data Sources

• November 2025 sales, production, and export results from Toyota.
• Toyota’s Interim financial results for the fiscal year ending March 2026 (Japanese) from Toyota.
• Key figure comparison from Volkswagen Group.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)