Toyota is the first car company to sell over 10 million cars a year.

Toyota Motor Corp., Japan's number one automobile manufacturer, announced on April 23 that Toyota's global automobile sales in fiscal year 2013 (ending March 31) exceeded 10 million units, becoming the first automobile manufacturer in the world to achieve this feat.

Toyota car factory in Toyota city, Aichi prefecture, central Japan. (Source: AFP/VNA)

In fiscal 2013, the company's auto sales increased 4.5 percent from the previous fiscal year to 10.133 million units, thanks to positive auto consumption in the North American and Chinese markets. Sales of Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd. are also included in the Toyota group's sales.

Toyota's domestic car sales also achieved positive results with 1.65 million units sold in fiscal 2013 (up 2.2%), in the context of consumers increasing their car purchases before the domestic consumption tax increased from 5% to 8% from April 1, 2014. On this basis, Toyota believes that its car sales will reach 10.32 million units in 2014.

On the same day, April 23, Japan's three leading automakers announced that their domestic auto sales achieved high results in March 2014, mainly due to increased demand before the consumption tax increase from April 1. Specifically, compared to March 2013, Toyota's auto sales in March 2014 increased by 11.6% to 221,685 units, Honda Motor Co.'s increased by 32.2% to 121,745 units, and Nissan Motor Co.'s increased by 18.7% to 103,436 units.

To meet the growing demand for cars in the North American, Latin American and European markets, three Japanese automakers all increased production in March 2014, with Toyota increasing production by 1.8% compared to the same period in 2013, to 494,584 units, Nissan increasing by 8.2% to a record high of 396,236 units and Honda increasing by 3.7% to a record high of 306,571 units./.

According to Vietnam+