Toyota sold a record number of passenger vehicles in 2023, beating Volkswagen as the world’s top car maker for a fourth consecutive year.

Global sales, including those of subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors, rose 7.2% to a record 11.2m vehicles, the company said, according to Bloomberg.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

Production rose 8.6% to 11.5m units.

According to Bloomberg, BYD, which sells only EVs and plug-in hybrids, sold around 3.02m units in 2023 but Toyota sold only 104,018 battery EVs. It initially aimed to sell 202,000 units during the fiscal year that ends 31 March, but lowered that goal to 123,000 in November, citing issues with demand and supply.

Separately on Tuesday, Honda Motor said its worldwide output increased 8.2% to 4.2m cars, despite a poor performance in Asia. Annual sales rose 5.6% to about 4m units, growing for the first time in seven years on strong pent-up demand in the US, Bloomberg said.

Nissan Motor said global output jumped about 6% to 3.4m vehicles, although the company was struggling in China, the report added.

Just Auto Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Just Auto Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.

Excellence in Action
Monumo’s Anser® platform has won the Innovation and Environmental awards by reinventing electric motor design with ultra fast, system level optimisation and lower environmental impact. Learn how Anser® is powering the next wave of sustainable automotive engineering.

Discover the Impact