Volkswagen closed the gap on No. 1 automaker Toyota in 2009 as the German company’s worldwide deliveries rose while its Japanese rival’s sales fell in the period, figures show.
VW, building a plant in Chattanooga to bolster sales in the United States, is holding to its strategy of passing leader Toyota this decade, said VW spokesman Michael Brendel at the company’s Wolfsburg, Germany, headquarters.
“We’re sticking to our goal to be the biggest (global) carmaker by 2018,” Mr. Brendel said.
Volkswagen delivered 6.29 million vehicles worldwide last year, up 1.1 percent from 2008. Toyota sold 7.81 vehicles globally in 2009, down 13 percent amid the recession.
Toyota is still the world’s top seller as both General Motors and VW trail the Japanese giant. GM hasn’t posted global 2009 sales yet.