Car Facts

Toyota Is The World Best-Selling Auto Manufacturer For The Sixth Time

Published

5 months ago

January 17, 2026

Ehijie

For the sixth year in a row, Toyota is the best-selling car manufacturer in the world, once again confirming its status as the absolute leader of the global auto industry. The Japanese manufacturer closed the year 2025 with 11.1 million vehicles sold, leaving the Volkswagen group behind and further increasing the gap compared to the competition.

The Volkswagen Group ended the year with 9.7 million cars delivered, which represents a slight decrease compared to the previous year. This clearly confirms that the German concern, despite its strong portfolio of brands and intensive investments in electrification, is currently unable to threaten Toyota’s long-standing dominance on the world car market.

According to published data, Volkswagen delivered 9.7 million vehicles, and within the group itself, negative trends were recorded for key brands. The Volkswagen brand fell 1.4 percent to 5 million vehicles, while Audi posted a 2.9 percent decline with 1.8 million cars delivered. These results further highlight the challenges facing VW in Europe and China, the most important markets of the global auto industry.

Toyota, on the other hand, continued to grow thanks to a wide and balanced offer, strong global distribution, and long-term dominance in the hybrid segment. Together with the Lexus, Daihatsu, and Hino brands, the Japanese manufacturer achieved steady growth in the key markets of North America, Asia, and the Middle East, confirming its status as the most reliable mass car manufacturer.

The third place in the global ranking of car manufacturers is held by Hyundai and Kia. The South Korean duo has sold a total of 8 million vehicles in 2025, which represents a slight increase of 0.6 percent. Their strategic goal is to reach sales of 8.2 million cars in 2026, with further strengthening of the offer of electric and hybrid models.

Taken as a whole, Toyota remains the most stable and successful car manufacturer in the world. While competitors face the challenges of transition, costs, and regulatory pressures, the Japanese giant continues to build an advantage with a combination of reliability, technology, and adaptation to global markets, thus still sovereignly holding the top of the world auto industry.