GM Becomes Top Car Seller Again

General Motors, not Toyota, is the world's top car salesman, according to data released by the U.S. automaker. Volkswagen is currently in second place, with Toyota trailing as it prepares to issue its final sales report for the year.

GM deliveries rose 7.6 percent from 8.39 million in 2010 to top Volkswagen's 8.16 million. Toyota, which took the sales crown from GM in 2008, hasn't reported full-year results. Through three quarters, Toyota deliveries fell 8.8 percent to 5.77 million, as production was limited by natural disasters in Japan and Thailand.

GM gained four-tenths of a point of market share to 11.9 percent of the global vehicle industry. Sales were up in all four reporting regions – North America, South America, Europe and International Operations – as GM sold a total of 9,025,942 vehicles compared with 8,385,484 in 2010.

So is this great news for U.S. taxpayers, who still own almost a third of GM? Not really.  GM's stock was trading at $24.80 this afternoon. The federal government would have to sell its stake at an average of $53 a share to break even.

Looks like the Treasury will have to be patient.

The U.S. was GM's biggest market, where it sold more than 1.7 million vehicles, up more than 13 percent from 2010. Brazil was second, with sales of 632,000. China posted record sales of 595,068, up 9.5 percent from the previous year. Other markets that posted significant year-over-year increases include Vietnam, Russia , Turkey, and Germany.

“Chevrolet’s impressive growth in both established and developing markets is the result of a strong new product lineup that meets the diverse needs of consumers around the world,” said GM Chairman and CEO Dan Akerson. “In addition to Chevrolet’s record-setting sales, the entire lineup of GM vehicles is meeting customer needs for fuel-efficient cars and work vehicles as well as unmatched luxury.”

The Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan led the brand with global sales of more than 670,000 in 2011, making it the best-selling Chevrolet nameplate around the world with more than 1.13 million sold since its launch in 2009.