Toyota said Thursday that it sold 9.37 million cars and trucks worldwide in 2007, which may have been enough to put it ahead of General Motors in the race for the "world's biggest automaker," a title GM has held for 76 years.
Toyota's worldwide sales increase of 6 percent in 2007 was helped by strong growth in overseas markets, the Japanese automaker said Thursday. It forecast a further 5 percent sales rise this year to 9.85 million vehicles.
GM has not issued its 2007 sales, but the two automakers have been running neck-and-neck this year in a high-profile horse race.
GM spokesman John McDonald said the U.S. automaker would announce its full-year sales on Jan. 23. He said GM had not issued an estimate, but some media reports said the U.S. automaker had predicted its 2007 sales would be around 9.3 million.
In the first nine months of 2007, GM sold 7.06 million vehicles, narrowly ahead of Toyota's 7.05 million cars and trucks sold under the Toyota, Hino, Daihatsu, Scion and Lexus brands.
Most industry forecasters have been predicting that Toyota would overtake GM in 2007 or 2008, but Toyota executives have downplayed the importance of such a milestone.
2008 Detroit Auto Show Photo Gallery
2008 San Diego Auto Show Photo Gallery