The automotive world is now like a “creature of habits:” for the sixth year in a row, Toyota Motor Corporation has become the global best-selling carmaker, with Volkswagen AG settling into second place at a respectable distance.

 

Not long ago, the Volkswagen Group announced that it sold 8.98 million vehicles worldwide in 2025, while Hyundai and Kia are cementing their place as the automotive market’s rising stars with the bronze medal and a combined 7.27 million units, up by 0.6 percent year-over-year. Back then, we already knew that VW AG wouldn’t beat Toyota because TMC sold more than its pursuers through November!