Toyota has done it again! As of January 30, 2025, the automotive giant announced it sold an impressive 10.8 million vehicles to consumers worldwide in 2024. This figure includes sales from its subsidiaries, Daihatsu and Hino Motors.
With these remarkable numbers, Toyota claimed the title of the world’s best-selling automotive group for the fifth consecutive year. Despite a challenging market, they managed to maintain their dominance in the industry.
Toyota remains the top-selling automotive brand globally in 2024.
According to Toyota, their global sales declined by 3.7% compared to the previous year. This drop was mainly due to a significant decline in sales in their home market of Japan. The company faced challenges due to management issues related to certification inspection processes, particularly affecting the Daihatsu brand.
In 2024, Toyota sold 1.2 million vehicles to Japanese customers, a 12.3% decrease from 2023. Daihatsu also experienced a substantial drop, selling 235,227 vehicles, which translates to a 45.1% decline. Despite these setbacks, Toyota remained the best-selling automotive brand in Japan for the year.
Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand, sold 86,701 vehicles in the Japanese market, a 9.1% decrease. Lexus also maintained its position as the top-selling luxury brand in Japan for 2024. Combined, the Toyota and Lexus brands contributed to a total of 10.2 million vehicles sold for the Japanese conglomerate, a 1.4% decrease compared to 2023.
Volkswagen retained its position as the second-best-selling automotive group globally. In 2024, the German group sold over 9 million vehicles, a 2.3% decline. This decrease was attributed to their cost-cutting measures in the domestic market and price wars in their key market of China.
A comparative graph illustrating the sales performance of Toyota, Volkswagen, and Hyundai from 2022 to 2024.
The Top 10 Best-Selling Automotive Brands Globally in 2024
When looking at individual brands, Toyota once again took the lead, selling 9.09 million vehicles worldwide, a slight decrease of 0.7%. They held a 10.7% market share in the global automotive industry.
Volkswagen followed in second place, with 4.93 million vehicles delivered to customers around the world in 2024. This translates to a 5.8% market share, which is less than half of Toyota’s sales figures.
In third place, we find a much younger brand compared to the two giants mentioned above—BYD. This Chinese brand experienced an incredible growth rate of 41.6% in 2024, selling 3.8 million vehicles globally and capturing a 4.5% market share. This achievement is even more impressive considering that in 2019, BYD ranked 49th globally.
Unlike Toyota and Volkswagen, BYD focuses solely on electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs). Their sales performance is largely driven by the Chinese domestic market, where they sold 3,524,482 vehicles, representing a 38.6% growth rate and a 15.34% market share. BYD is currently the best-selling brand in the world’s largest automotive market.
Honda secured fourth place, with sales reaching 3.74 million vehicles, despite a 3.1% decline. This decrease was partly due to a significant drop in sales in the Chinese market, which fell by 26.7% to 881,347 vehicles.
Ford and Hyundai tied for fifth place, with both brands selling approximately 3.69 million vehicles each. Compared to 2023, Ford and Hyundai experienced sales decreases of 0.9% and 3.7%, respectively.
Meanwhile, Nissan showed a slight increase of 0.1%, selling 3.13 million vehicles. Chevrolet followed closely behind, selling 3.03 million vehicles worldwide, a 2.9% decrease.
Hyundai’s sister brand, Kia, trailed behind in sales, selling 2.91 million vehicles, a 1.9% decline. Kia secured the ninth position among the top 10 best-selling automotive brands globally.
Rounding out the top 10 is Mercedes-Benz, with cumulative sales of 2.18 million vehicles, a 1.5% increase. Mercedes-Benz also claimed the title of the best-selling luxury brand globally in 2024, surpassing its rival BMW.
| Rank | Brand | Global Sales (Millions) | Growth Rate |
| 1 | Toyota | 9.09 | -0.7% | 2 | Volkswagen | 4.93 | – |
| 3 | BYD | 3.8 | +41.6% |
| 4 | Honda | 3.74 | -3.1% |
| 5 | Ford | 3.69 | -0.9% |
| 6 | Hyundai | 3.69 | -3.7% |
| 7 | Nissan | 3.13 | +0.1% |
| 8 | Chevrolet | 3.03 | -2.9% |
| 9 | Kia | 2.91 | -1.9% |
| 10 | Mercedes-Benz | 2.18 | +1.5% |
The top 10 best-selling automotive brands globally in 2024 showcase their resilience and adaptability in a dynamic market.
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