G.M., which held the top spot in 2011, sold 9.29 million vehicles last year. It had been the top-selling automaker for decades before losing its lead to Toyota in 2008.

Volkswagen sold 9.1 million vehicles last year, a record for the German automaker, which has expanded its presence in emerging markets. VW also outsold Toyota in 2011.

Toyota estimated last month that it sold 9.7 million vehicles for the year, and final figures released Monday were slightly higher.

By recovering its No. 1 title, Toyota cements a strong comeback from several years of tumbles.

A sharp slowdown in exports during the global economic crisis led to the automaker’s biggest loss in decades while controversy over its handling of recalls greatly tarnished its image for quality and reliability.

In 2011, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, as well as widespread flooding in Thailand later that year, disrupted production, weighing on sales in important markets like the United States and pushing Toyota to No. 3 in global sales.

Toyota recovered in 2012, however, as production rebounded and the automaker went on an offensive to win back market share. Toyota sales in the United States surged 27 percent, to 2.08 million vehicles. In Japan, sales rose 35 percent, to 2.41 million vehicles, helped by government incentives for fuel-efficient cars.

Those increases were enough to offset a decline in sales in China, where Japanese businesses have been hurt by consumer boycotts stemming from a bitter territorial dispute between the two countries. In Europe, sales of Toyota cars rose by 2 percent.

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/29/business/global/toyota-returns-to-no-1-in-global-auto-sales.html?partner=rss&emc=rss