- Toyota executive believes that quality, durability and reliability are the company’s strongest assets.
- The strong dealer network and after sales support have also contributed to the company’s success.
- However, the rise of Chinese brands is spectacular.
With sales of more than 10.5 million cars in 2025, Toyota (including Lexus) retains the global sales crown for the sixth consecutive year. Including subsidiary Daihatsu, the total number reached about 11.2 million, widening the gap to second-place Volkswagen Group, which sold about 8.7 million vehicles (not including full-size commercial vehicles).
While Toyota and VW Group have maintained it at the top of the leaderboard, the tremendous growth of Chinese automakers cannot be ignored. BYD ranked sixth globally after shipping 4.6 million cars last year, up 7.72 percent from 2024. Chairman Wang Chuanfu has ambitious plans, believing the company has the potential to become the world’s number one automaker within the next five years.
MG owner SAIC is also not far behind. It ranked seventh in 2025 with sales of 4.5 million vehicles, showing a year-on-year growth of 12.3 percent. Volvo’s parent company Geely delivered 4.12 million cars, up a whopping 26 percent and ranking ninth in the global ranking.
Photo by: Toyota
Even though these three Chinese automakers are already in the top 10 and growing at a pace that should be a cause for concern for long-established manufacturers, Toyota believes it still has the edge.
Toyota Australia’s Vice President of National Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations, John Pappas, elaborated on the company’s greatest asset in an interview. To drive magazine:
‘The Toyota premium really comes from product value and the fact that we are renowned for our QDRs – quality, durability, reliability. In times of uncertainty around brand trust, people always go to brands they trust. We saw this in COVID, and I think our brand trust has really enabled that in the long run.
He further said that it is not just about the product, but also about the strong dealership network built around it and after-sales support. Pappas also pointed to strong resale values as another milestone in Toyota’s achievement. We’d add that the company’s huge global lineup of region-specific models as well as its own helps it maintain its dominance, even as the Japanese automotive giant is looking to slim down its portfolio.
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Source: Toyota
Motor1’s Opinion: Being number one certainly gives Toyota bragging rights, but there’s more to the story than sheer volume. Profit margin plays a vital role in any business, and the company knows it cannot rest on its laurels.
During a meeting with suppliers earlier this year, CEO Koji Sato painted a surprisingly grim picture of the future unless Toyota takes action to reduce costs:
‘Unless things change, we will not survive. I want everyone to accept this feeling of crisis. At present, we are struggling for our survival in the automotive industry.
The Chinese threat is very real.
