Toyota Motor Corp. is poised to take back the title of world's biggest automaker for 2012, as Volkswagen AG fights General Motors Co. for second place heading into the final weeks.
The battle among the world's biggest carmakers comes as the industry is headed for a record year. Global 2012 sales will top 80 million cars and trucks for the first time, as robust U.S. and Japanese purchases offset a European downturn, according to estimates from LMC Automotive. Toyota is rebounding from the March 2011 tsunami to take the title from GM, while the fight for second between Volkswagen and GM remains too close to call, with less than 1 percent difference between their sales.
All three companies have benefited from the strength of the U.S. light-vehicle market, which is heading for a third straight year of gains following the 2009 collapse and industry bailout. U.S. sales are projected to rise again next year, which would match the longest string since the end of World War II.