Top Automakers in the World 2026

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By: Caitlin Cahalan
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Edited by: Elijah Vorrasi
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Fact-checked by: Jon Bortin
Row of parked cars in various colors at a dealership under a blue sky with scattered clouds.

Over the past five years, Volkswagen and Toyota have been top contenders for global automotive leader. Toyota sales comprised more than 10 million of the roughly 86 million cars sold worldwide in 2023. Toyota’s lead is in large part due to its popularity in Asia and the U.S. However, Volkswagen leads the pack in terms of revenue, surpassing Toyota by over $32 billion as of June 2023.

Key insights

It is projected that almost 90 million cars will sell by the end of 2025, only a 0.1% increase from 2024. 16.2 million of this share was sold in the U.S.

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Volkswagen leads the global auto industry with over $348.6 billion in revenue as of 2024, whereas Toyota leads the global market in terms of units sold, amounting to 10.8 million units in 2024.

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Toyota’s market share reached 10.7% of the global automotive market in 2024.

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Car company statistics

An estimated 90 million cars will be sold by the end of 2025, an increase of only .1% from 2024, due to EV tariffs, high vehicle prices and economic recession. Sales in the U.S. account for roughly 16.2 million of 2025 global sales.

According to year-end 2024 sales figures, GM led the U.S. automotive market with 2.7 million units sold, edging out long-time competitor Toyota, which sold 2.3 million units.

Although in North America Toyota fell short in the U.S. market, with 2,332,603 units sold in 2024, it has surpassed over 10 million units sold globally, making it the most popular automotive brand worldwide as of 2024. Therefore, Toyota is the leader of the global automotive industry, with a 10.7% market share.

Source: Statista, 2024

Most popular U.S. car models as of 2025:

  1. Ford F-Series (412,848 units sold): The pickup truck has held a top spot of the most popular car models in the U.S. consistently.
  2. Chevrolet Silverado (284,038 units sold): Offering both light-duty 1500 and heavy-duty models, Chevy saw Silverado sales increase by 5% between 2024 and 2025.
  3. Toyota RAV4 (239,451 units sold): The RAV4 has remained the most popular SUV in the U.S., growing its sales globally in 2024 by 11%.
  4. Honda CR-V (212,561 units sold): The Honda CR-V is one of the most loved SUVs on a global scale, with over 10 million units sold since its creation in 1995.
  5. Ram Truck (174,320 units sold): As of 2025, RAM’s sales have decreased by 38% since 2019.
  6. GMC Sierra (169,182 units sold): GMC sold 29,706 Sierras in the U.S. in June 2025.

The top 10 car companies worldwide

In terms of revenue, Volkswagen is considered the top automotive company in the world, with over $348.6 billion generated in revenue as of 2024. However, Toyota is the top car company in terms of vehicles sold, 10.8 million units. Also making the top five global automotive companies are Stellantis, Ford and GM.

Top car companies, 2017-2024

Since 2017, the top global automotive seller has rotated between a few key companies: predominantly Toyota and Volkswagen. Both companies are competitors in terms of units sold and annual revenue. However, Toyota took over as No. 1 in 2020 following Volkswagen’s 2018-19 reign and has remained at the top ever since, in terms of units sold.

Prior to Volkswagen, Renault-Nissan was the top automotive seller globally in 2017. Despite the changing rankings, the number of cars remained fairly unchanged, barring an automotive production dip and a stagnant market in 2020.

FAQ

What is the largest car company worldwide by revenue?

Volkswagen is the largest car company, per revenue updates as of May 2024.

What is the No. 1 selling car in the world?

The top-selling car in 2024 globally was the Tesla Model Y, followed by the Toyota Corolla.

Which country sells the most cars in the world?

As of 2022, Chinese brands sell the most cars worldwide, accounting for 49.9% of the global auto market.

What is the most profitable car company in the world?

Volkswagen Group generated the most revenue in 2024, amounting to $348.6 billion.

Article sources

ConsumerAffairs writers primarily rely on government data, industry experts, and original research from other reputable publications to inform their work. Specific sources for this article include:

  1. S&P Global, “S&P Global Mobility Forecasts 88.3M auto sales in 2024.” Accessed Jan. 6, 2024.
  2. S&P Global, “S&P Global Mobility forecasts 89.6M auto sales worldwide in 2025.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025. 
  3. Wall Street Journal, “U.S. Auto Sales bounced back in 2023.” Accessed Jan. 6, 2024.
  4. Reuters, “GM leads US auto sales as industry concludes best year since pandemic.“ Accessed Jan. 6, 2024. 
  5. Toyota, “Toyota Motor North America Reports 2023 U.S. Sales Results.” Accessed Jan. 6, 2024. 
  6. Reuters, “Toyota's global output surges to record in November on strong demand.” Accessed Jan. 6, 2024. 
  7. Statista, “Global automotive market share in 2024, by brand.” Accessed Jan. 6, 2024. 
  8. Statista, “Best-selling passenger car worldwide in 2024 (in million units).” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025.
  9. Statista, “Revenue of leading automakers worldwide as of May 2024 (in billion U.S. dollars).” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025. 
  10. Statista, “Light vehicle sales in the United States between January and December of 2023 and 2024, by manufacturer (in units.” Accessed Sept. 30, 2025. 
  11. Stellantis, “Annual Report 2024.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025. 
  12. CNBC, “A compact crossover is coming for America’s pickup trucks. Here are the top-selling cars of 2023.” Accessed Jan. 6, 2024. 
  13. CNBC, “Hemi V-8 engines and mechanical bull rides: Inside Stellantis’ plan to revive its Ram Trucks brand after yearslong sales declines.” Accessed Sept. 30, 2025.
  14. Yahoo!Finance, “Top 20 Biggest Car Manufacturers by 2023 Revenue.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2024.
  15. Volkswagen Group, “Annual Report 2023.” Accessed Sept. 26, 2025. 
  16. Volkswagen Group, “Annual Report & Full Year Results 2024.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025. 
  17. Toyota, “Sales, Production, and Export Results.” Accessed Sept. 26, 2025.
  18. SAIC, “SAIC Motor makes new breakthroughs in 2022.” Accessed Jan. 7, 2024.
  19. SAIC, “SALES VOLUME.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025. 
  20. Reuters, “Toyota defends title as world's top-selling automaker in 2022.” Accessed Jan. 8, 2024.
  21. Reuters, “Toyota remains world's biggest car seller, widens lead on VW.” Accessed Jan. 8, 2024. 
  22. Reuters, “Toyota beats Volkswagen to become World’s No.1 car seller in 2020.” Accessed Jan. 8, 2024. 
  23. Associated Press, “Toyota’s 2019 global vehicle sales trail Volkswagen’s.” Accessed Jan. 8, 2024. 
  24. Business Insider, “Renault-Nissan beats Volkswagen AG to become the world's top-selling automaker for 2017.” Accessed Jan. 8, 2024.
  25. Kelley Blue Book, “The 25 Best-Selling Cars in 2025, So Far.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025.
  26. Kelley Blue Book, “Report: Toyota RAV4 Takes World’s Best-Selling Car Title.” Accessed Sept. 30, 2025. 
  27. Ford Motor Company, “ANNUAL REPORT ON FORM 10-K For the Year Ended December 31, 2024.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025. 
  28. BMW, “BMW Group Report 2024.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025. 
  29. The Mercedes-Benz Group, “Annual Report 2024.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025. 
  30. Honda, “Honda Report 2024.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025. 
  31. Hyundai, “Hyundai Motor Reports 2024 Global Sales and 2025 Targets.” Accessed Sept. 29, 2025. 
  32. Global Toyota, “FY2023 Financial Results.” Accessed Sept. 30, 2025. 
  33. GM Authority, “Chevy Silverado Sales Up But Market Share Down During Q2 2025.” Accessed Sept. 30, 2025. 
  34. GM Authority, “GMC Sierra Sales Numbers.” Accessed Sept. 30, 2025. 
  35. GoodCarBadCar, “Honda CR-V Sales Figures.” Accessed Sept. 30, 2025.

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