Toyota loses crown to Volkswagen as US trade barriers loom

Toyota's global sales rose 0.2% to 10.2 mn vehicles in 2016

Toyota Motor lost its title as the world’s best-selling automaker to Volkswagen, snapping the Japanese company’s four-year reign, as demand for its flagship Camry sedan waned in the US and sales in China expanded at a slower pace than the overall market.
 
Toyota’s global sales, including its Hino Motors and Daihatsu Motor units, rose 0.2 per cent to 10.2 million vehicles in 2016, the Japanese automaker said on Monday. That fell short of Volkswagen’s record 10.3 million cars, trucks and buses, a 3.8 per cent gain.
 
By another key yardstick, however, Toyota continues to outperform its European rival.