Toyota overtook Volkswagen Group to become the world's top-selling automaker in 2020 as the slump in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic hit VW harder.
It was the first time Toyota clinched the position in five years.
Toyota's 2020 group sales, which include those of its subsidiaries Lexus, Daihatsu and Hino, fell 11 percent to 9.53 million units, the company said Thursday.
VW Group's global deliveries declined by 15 percent to 9.31 million, the automaker said on Jan. 13. VW's figure includes sales of the VW, Audi, Porsche, Skoda and Seat brands, as well as its Scania and MAN heavy truck units.
The extent of the automakers' sales losses was largely determined by their level of exposure to the regions most disrupted by the virus.
VW has a strong footprint in the European Union, where passenger car sales fell an "unprecedented" 24 percent to fewer than 10 million in 2020, according to industry association ACEA.
Toyota, on the oth…