Toyota Remains World’s Top-Selling Automaker

Toyota Motor Corp. sold 2.43 million vehicles in the January-March period, thus outpacing rivals General Motors and Volkswagen to remain the global sales leader for the fifth consecutive quarter.

GM's quarterly deliveries rose 4% year over year to 2.36 million units, trailing Toyota's by only 69,000 vehicles. VW hiked volume 5% to 2.27 million units.

Toyota's global sales which include its Daihatsu and Hino subsidiaries slid 2% in the latest quarter, dented by a 14% drop in Japan. The company's volume dropped 13% in China, where anti-Japan sentiment remains strong.

But demand for Toyota's vehicles was strong elsewhere in Asia and climbed 7% in North America.

The company is likely to attain its goal of selling a world-record 10 million units this year, analysts say. They note that Toyota is getting a boost from the weakening yen, which makes its Japan-made vehicles less expensive abroad.