Toyota regains top spot in global auto sales in 2020

Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. Group regained the top spot in global auto sales in 2020 for the first time in five years, mainly helped by brisk business in China and the United States, data showed Thursday, reported Xinhua.

According to Toyota, it sold 9.53 million vehicles worldwide in 2020, which included those sold by its group's mini-vehicle maker Daihatsu Motor Co. and truck manufacturer Hino Motors Ltd.

The figure declined 11.3 percent from a year earlier. However, it suffered less of an impact from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic than other carmakers and overtook its main competitor Volkswagen AG of Germany.

The Japanese automaker said that though sales fell sharply in the April-June quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic, a robust pickup has been seen in China and the United States, among other main markets.

A Toyota official said the company's aggressive sales strategy of rolling out a series of new models contributed to relatively solid sales last year compared with other carmakers.

"Our sales dropped from a year earlier amid the pandemic, but the decline was limited to around 10 percent level," said the official.