Toyota regains position as 'world's biggest vehicle maker'

London, Jan 29 (ANI): Japanese carmaker Toyota has regained its position as the world's biggest vehicle maker.

Toyota said it sold 9.75 million vehicles in 2012, a jump of over 22 percent from a year earlier.

General Motors, which was the biggest vehicle maker in 2011, sold 9.29 million vehicles in 2012.

Toyota's sales in 2011 were hit by natural disasters in Japan and Thailand, which hurt production at its factories.

However, Toyota, and other Japanese carmakers that were affected, have seen a steady recovery since then and have been regaining share in key markets such as the US, the BBC reports.

Toyota's rivals also reported record numbers in vehicle sales for 2012, the report said.

According to the report, Nissan Motor said it sold 4.94 million vehicles globally, up almost six percent from the previous year.

Honda Motor said it saw a jump of 19 percent from a year earlier, selling 3.82 million vehicles, the report added. (ANI)