Toyota Remains World's Number One Carmaker

Now that General Motors has released its sales results for calendar year 2010, it's clear enough that Toyota managed to remain the world's number one carmaker, despite the numerous problems that affected the company during the year that ended December 31. The fierce battle crowned Toyota the biggest automaker after the Japanese group sold a total of 8.418 million vehicles in 2010, close to GM's 8.39 million sold units.

Toyota's sales registered an increase of 8 percent as compared to 2009, while General Motors recorded a growth of 12.2 percent, with China becoming its number one market. The Toyota brand alone delivered a total of 7.528 million vehicles, which represents an increase of 8 points over 2009.

"Being number one in term of sales is not important for us," Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco told AFP. "Our objective is to become number one with the customer, in terms of service and customer satisfaction."

This is the third year when Toyota tops the overall hierarchy of global automakers, but General Motors doesn't seem concerned at all. With its Japanese rival seriously affected by the recall scandal, GM managed to post sales increases in almost every market, turning China into its number one destination. Sales in China totaled 2,351,610 vehicles, up 28.8 percent over 2009, while the United States, which arrives second, sold a total of 2,215,227 units last year, an increase of 6.3 points as compared to the previous year.

Toyota's strongpoint was right its domestic market, as sales there increased by 10 percent in 2010. The foreign markets were up only seven percent as compared to 2009 figures.