Toyota top automaker in 2014, beating Volkswagen, GM

Toyota Motor Corp. stayed at the top in global vehicle sales in 2014, beating out Volkswagen AG and General Motors Co. (GM) to take the auto sales crown for the third year straight.

The Japanese automaker sold 10.23 million vehicles – but isn`t sure it can do it again. According to Toyota, it expects to sell fewer trucks and cars this year, at 10.15 million vehicles.

Volkswagen of Germany sold 10.14 million vehicles in 2014. Detroit-based GM was third at 9.92 million vehicles, a company record.

Toyota’s sales grew six per cent in the U.S. from the previous year, 13 per cent in China, and 10 per cent in Brazil. The company has clearly rebounded from the setback suffered in 2011, when its production was hobbled by the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan.

GM had been the top-selling automaker for more than seven decades until being surpassed by Toyota in 2008.

In Canada, Ford was the top seller in 2014, with 291,951 new vehicles delivered in the country, up 2.9 per cent from 283,588 in 2013. Truck sales totaled 229,603, up from 215,247, while car sales slipped to 62,348 from 68,341. It was Ford’s best year in Canada since 1997. Chrysler Canada sales were up 12 per cent in 2014, and GM sales up six per cent. 2014 was a record year for Canadian car sales, with 1.8 million vehicles sold overall.