With a little over 10.5 million cars sold in 2025, Toyota (including Lexus) retained the global sales crown for the sixth consecutive year. Counting the subsidiary Daihatsu, the total climbs to around 11.2 million, further widening the gap to second-place Volkswagen Group, which sold nearly 8.7 million vehicles (excluding full-size commercial vehicles).

 

While Toyota and the VW Group continue to duke it out at the top of the leaderboard, the meteoric rise of Chinese automakers can't be ignored. BYD ranked sixth globally last year after shipping 4.6 million cars, up 7.72 percent from 2024. Chairman Wang Chuanfu has ambitious plans, believing the company has what it takes to become the world's number-one automaker within the next five years.