Toyota has released its sales figures of 7.5 million units for the first three quarters of 2015, beating Volkwagen's 7.43 million and the 7.2 million vehicles sold by General Motors.

For this year's first two quarters, VW's sales were ahead of Toyota's, but after VW's emissions scandal surfaced in September, the German car maker's sales fell to Toyota. VW's software was able to confuse emission tests on diesel cars, and the scandal may affect their sales throughout 2015, according to the BBC. 

VW has now halted the sales of their diesel models in some markets to be repaired and to meet the required compliance condition. Volkswagen Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn resigned after the scandal.

"Toyota will be the No. 1 for this year," auto analyst for Advanced Research Japan, Koji Endo said, according to Bloomberg. "VW may be facing sales difficulties due to the scandal toward next year in Europe and the U.S., and I don't see the Chinese market coming back anytime soon."

Toyota is also preparing to commence the deliveries of their latest hatchback, the Prius. The hybrid will be sportier and will save owners of 10 percent in fuel economy and bigger savings for its Eco version model, according to the Telegraph.

In 2011, Toyota faced a huge setback when a tsunami and earthquake hit Japan, pausing their car production making and allowing Detroit-based General Motors bag the top spot. However, Toyota regained its top spot in 2012. Last year, it was able to sell 10.14 million vehicles, while GM sold 9.92 vehicle units.

@ 2024 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.