VW scandal: Toyota vehicle sales overtake Volkswagen to become biggest-selling car maker

The Japanese auto giant has announced it sold 7.49 million vehicles from January to September

Toyota stole the crown as the world’s top selling car maker after its German rival Volkswagen saw sales hit by the emissions-cheating scandal.

The Japanese auto giant has announced it sold 7.49 million vehicles from January to September, compared to 7.43 million sold by Volkswagen as both automakers released their results this month.

Total sales at Toyota and its subsidiaries Hino Motors and Daihatsu Motor Co rose 13.6 per cent from the first eight months of the year, although sales were 1.5 per cent lower from the same period last year.

“Toyota will be the No. 1 for this year. Volkswagen may be facing sales difficulties due to the scandal toward next year in Europe and the U.S., and I don't see the Chinese market coming back anytime soon,” Koji Endo, auto analyst at Advanced Research Japan, told Bloomberg.

Volkswagen was ahead of Toyota for the first six month of the year. But the German carmaker, which also owns the Audi and Porsche brands, has been under fire after admitting last month it installed software in diesel vehicles to deceive US regulators about the true level of their toxic emissions.

Around 11 million vehicles were reported to house the defeat device during emission tests.

The scandal also led to the resignation of Martin Winterkorn, the Volkswagen CEO.

Toyota intends to hire about 1,400 more workers to speed up production. It is getting ready to deliver a redesigned Prius as well as an improved Land Cruiser, which might make it harder for Volkswagen to get back on top.

Additional reporting by Reuters