Based on its freshly released 2012 production and sales figures, Toyota (TM 0.90%) has retaken the title of world's largest vehicle maker. The company sold nearly 9.75 million automobiles aroud the globe last year, eclipsing General Motors' 9.29 million.
That 9.75 million represented a year-over-year increase of almost 23%. Production and sales in 2011 were negatively affected by an earthquake in Japan that disrupted the company's output.
Worldwide production saw a 26% annual rise for Toyota, to 9.9 million units. This percentage was essentially the same for output in Japan, where the company produced 4.4 million automobiles.
Sales in the company's domestic market were very brisk. They advanced by 35% to just over 2.4 million vehicles.
