Toronto, Ontario – For the first time in five years Toyota claimed the title as the world’s top-selling automaker for 2020, overtaking Volkswagen Group.
Toyota saw its total sales fall 11 per cent in 2020, the sales include its subsidiaries Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino, coming to a total of 9.53 million units sold.
On the other hand, VW’s global sales fell by 15 per cent to 9.31 million units, which includes the Audi, VW, Porsche, Seat, and Skoda brands in the figures.
It was found that the severity of the automakers sales declines were directly impacted by the regions that were more greatly impacted by the virus.
For example, VW has a large presence in the European Union where due to the pandemic, car sales fell to fewer than 10 million in 2020. Whereas Toyota is more popular in the U.S. where there haven’t been as strict lockdown measures. Resulting in the automakers sales only falling 14.4 per cent in 2020.
Before 2020, VW surpassed Toyota in sales every year since 2015, but according to analysts the two automakers’ most recent sales trends suggest this to be a long-term trend. With IHS Markit suggesting that we may see VW pull up in 2021, but Toyota will surpass the brand again each year through 2025.
In response to becoming the top-selling automaker in 2020 a spokesperson said, “Our focus is not on what our ranking may be, but on serving our customers.”
