The battle for the crown of world’s best-selling automaker was very different in the plague year. Now that final sales numbers are in for 2020, we can report that Toyota overtook Volkswagen in total global sales.
The Japanese automaker sold 9.53 million cars worldwide in the year COVID-19 shutdown much of global commerce. Germany’s VW sold 9.31 million.
The virus probably made most of the difference. VW’s largest footprint is in Europe with its bigger dip in car sales than any other continent. Analysts from IHS Markit expect Volkswagen to retake the title in 2021, but not to hold it for long. Toyota will retake the sales crown by 2025, they predict, based on strong electric vehicle sales in China and SUV sales in the U.S.
The news has some practical effect for car shoppers. IHS Market analyst Yoshiaki Kawano explains that “prolonged lockdowns and shop closures in its domestic market will continue to have an adverse impact” on Volkswagen, which could limit the VW models available at American dealerships.
Toyota doesn’t face similar limitations, and, to date, is one of the automakers least impacted by a global shortage of microchips that is limiting production of some cars.
