Toyota has maintained its title as the world’s biggest automaker for the fourth straight year after selling 10.15 million vehicles worldwide in 2015.
That figure, announced in a statement Wednesday, was enough to top competitors Volkswagen—which sold 9.93 million vehicles last year—and General Motors (GM), which sold 9.8 million units.
Toyota’s (TM) position was briefly challenged last year by VW, which led sales for the first six months, only to be knocked back by its massive diesel emissions scandal. That has caused some analysts to say that Toyota’s lead in worldwide vehicle sales looks to be safe for now.
“Toyota’s hegemony will probably not be challenged for the next few years after the big setback for VW,” Zhou Jincheng, an analyst at Fourin, told Bloomberg. “The gap will only get wider and wider because VW will take time to adjust its strategies for markets such as the U.S. And Europe.”
The Japanese manufacturer, however, saw a 0.8% drop in sales from 2014, as strong demand in North America was offset by slowdowns in the company’s home nation of Japan and other emerging markets.
