Toyota Shipped A Record-Breaking 11.2 Million Cars In 2023

Image: Toyota

Despite 2023 being a weird year for car sales with high interest rates, global shortages, shipping delays, and reduced inventory, Volkswagen and Toyota were locked in a tight race to deliver more cars than ever before. Both the German giant and the Japanese behemoth were aiming for the global sales crown, and 2023 saw both companies push beyond their 2022 totals. Volkswagen put up a good fight with 12 percent growth in ’23 delivering 9.24 million cars, but Toyota expanded its sales by 7.2 percent in the same period to ship an incredible 11.2 million machines.

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Reports from Toyota indicate that the vast majority of those sales were attributed to the Toyota and Lexus brands, delivering a combined 10,307,395 automobiles. The Daihatsu subsidiary shipped just 790,441 units by comparison, and the Hino truck division shifted 135,203 commercial vehicles (down nearly 10 percent from 2022).

While Toyota is largely selling Toyota-branded vehicles, Volkswagen has to rely on its many subsidiaries to put up those big numbers. Just 4.87 million vehicles shipped in 2023 with a VW badge on the grille, making up just over half of Volkswagen, A.G.’s sales.

Toyota’s 2023 sales crown is the company’s fourth such dominant year in a row. This used to be a fight between General Motors and Volkswagen with Toyota a distant third, but GM has seen its numbers slip and Toyota was more than happy to pick up the slack.

Volkswagen and Toyota are taking very different approaches to their global sales. Toyota has recently gone hot and heavy for the enthusiast market, delivering exciting sports cars and hot hatches for the masses, as well as upmarket Lexus-branded F cars. The massive Japanese brand also has a long-standing penchant for the affordable and economy-minded buyers. Volkswagen, in diametric opposition, has gone all-in on electric with its various ID cars and SUVs, while continuing to sell increasingly more cars to higher end clientele, with Porsche, Bugatti, and Lamborghini posting record sales.