Toyota ended 2010 as the world's largest carmaker despite suffering a series of recalls and safety issues.
The Japanese company's sales reached 8.4 million vehicles, just beating General Motors' tally of 8.39 million, the BBC reports.
Toyota's sales, including truckmaker Hino and carmaker Daihatsu, rose 8% from 2009, due to strong growth in China and other Asian countries.
Toyota dethroned its US rival as the world's biggest carmaker in 2008, a position GM had held for nearly 80 years.
