Toyota retakes global vehicle sales lead as VW deals with emissions scandal

Toyota Motor Corp. regained its global vehicle sales lead over Volkswagen AG as the embattled German manufacturer grapples with the fallout from its emissions cheating scandal.

According to a statement from Toyota released on Monday, the Japanese automaker sold 7.49 million vehicles this year through September, outpacing rivals General Motors (GM) and Volkswagen.

Volkswagen AG of Germany sold 7.43 million vehicles, while GM sold 7.2 million vehicles, according to numbers released earlier this month by both automakers. Both Toyota and Volkswagen saw sales fall 1.5 percent while GM had its global sales fall by 1 percent for the nine months on a year-to-year basis.

Detroit-based GM was the top-selling automaker for more than seven decades, until being surpassed by Toyota in 2008. GM retook the sales crown for one year in 2011, when a tsunami and quake disaster struck northeastern Japan, disrupting automobile production.

Volkswagen overtook Toyota in the first half of 2015, the first time it had come out on top in such records, before the worst scandal in its 78-year history, broke last month. VW vehicles were found to be equipped with software that allowed them to cheat US emissions tests. Before this, the German carmaker had appeared unstoppable, with growth going strong in various global markets.

The emissions scandal led to the resignation of VW Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn, who had set a goal to vault the company past Toyota and General Motors Co. to become the world leader in global sales.

Toyota made a big comeback in 2012, and has been the top automaker for the past three years. Last year, the company, which makes the Prius hybrid, Camry sedan and Lexus luxury models, sold 10.23 million vehicles.

Volkswagen sold 10.14 million vehicles in 2014. VW makes the Beetle and Golf cars, and also has the Porsche, Bugatti and Audi brands.

GM, which produces Cadillac and Opel cars, was third at 9.92 million vehicles in global sales last year.

Analysts expect the gloom to be far more widespread for Volkswagen in the final quarter of the year as it counts the cost of the scandal and sets about repairing the damage.