Since the Volkswagen Group declared that it sold 9.24 million vehicles in 2023, we have been waiting for Toyota to share sales numbers for that year. The results are in, and the Japanese powerhouse has defeated its German competitor handily, as predicted. Last year, Toyota delivered a record-breaking 11,233,039 automobiles, up 7.2 percent from the previous year. This makes it the best-selling carmaker for the fourth consecutive year.

Upon deeper inspection, the data reveal that in 2023, the Toyota and Lexus brands delivered 10,307,395 vehicles, setting a new record and increasing sales by 7.7%. Additionally, the Daihatsu subsidiary reported strong results, with shipments up 3.2% to 790,441 units.

Toyota and its subsidiaries sold 8,928,230 automobiles last year, up 4.1 percent from the year before, setting a record for sales outside of Japan. With 8,634,425 automobiles sold, up 4.3 percent from 2022, the major Toyota and Lexus brands contributed for the majority of the sales and established yet another record. The largest single market was the United States, with 2,617,033 automobiles, or 7% more than the previous year.

Lexus, Toyota's luxury brand, shipped 824,258 vehicles in 2023, a staggering 132% increase over 2022 sales. This was a record. With 355,606 units (+124%), North America was by far the largest region, followed by Asia with 236,587 units (+113%) and Japan's home market with 94,647 units (+229%).

In 2023, how did other major manufacturers fare? The Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis trio took the last position on the podium with combined sales of 7.32 million vehicles, an increase of 6.7%. Although General Motors has not yet released worldwide sales data for the prior year, we would like to remind you that it sold 5.93 million vehicles in 2022. Although Stellantis has not yet released figures for the year that concluded on February 15, it is important to note that deliveries in 2022 totaled 5.84 million automobiles.

Today, a different Japanese carmaker released its global sales figures for the entire year 2023. In the preceding 12 months, Nissan sold 3,225,632 vehicles, a rise of 4.6 percent.