2018 GLOBAL SALES
› Volkswagen Group: 10.83 million› Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi: 10.76 million› Toyota Motor Corp.: 10.59 millionSource: Associated Press
German automaker Volkswagen, despite headwinds in various parts of the world, motored to the No. 1 spot in global sales last year, figures show.
VW, which has a production plant in Chattanooga and this month revealed an $800 million expansion to make electric vehicles, posted deliveries of 10.83 million and topped rival Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi's 10.76 million in sales.
Toyota Motor Corp. sold 10.59 million vehicles globally last year, according to the latest figures.
Volkswagen, which along with its namesake brand sells Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini and others, recorded a 0.9 percent gain in sales last year over 2017 to set an all-time record.
The group grew sales in the United States, South America, Europe, and China, and in some cases saw market share rise as well, the company reported.
VW has said that with successful product offensives, the group's brands were able to more than compensate for the risks in individual regions such as the general economic uncertainty in China and the adverse effects of a fuel consumption and emission testing changeover in Europe.
The company said its new SUV models were strong growth drivers.
Dr. Christian Dahlheim, head of Volkswagen Group sales, said in an earlier statement that while setting new records is no longer a primary goal, officials are pleased about 2018 results.
"In view of volatile geopolitical developments, our business will face an equally strong headwind in 2019," he said. "In my opinion, the Volkswagen Group is well-positioned to meet the upcoming challenges."
The Nissan-Renault-Mitsubishi alliance reported that its combined global sales were up 1.4 percent from the previous year.
Nissan Motor Co.'s global sales totaled 5.65 million vehicles last year, while Renault SA of France, which owns 43 percent of Nissan, recorded global sales of 3.9 million vehicles. Nissan owns 34 percent of smaller Japanese rival Mitsubishi Motors Corp., which sold 1.2 million vehicles last year.
But Nissan, Japan's second biggest automaker, has been rocked by the arrest in November of its former chairman Carlos Ghosn, who was dispatched by Renault in 1999 and led Nissan for two decades.
The allegations against Ghosn center around financial misconduct, such as underreporting compensation from Nissan and having Nissan shoulder investment losses. Ghosn has said he is innocent.
Toyota's vehicle sales last year rose 2 percent from 2017, according to the company.
U.S. automaker General Motors Co. was the No. 1 selling automaker for more than seven decades before losing the title to Toyota in 2008.