General Motors Co. set a company record last year for global sales, but it was outsold by German automaker Volkswagen AG.
Now both companies are waiting to see if Toyota Motor Corp. will retain its global sales crown. Toyota, which is expected to report sales next week, was the world's top-selling automaker in 2012 and 2013.
GM sold just over 9.92 million cars and trucks in 2014, up 2 per cent from the previous year. Sales rose 14 per cent in China and 6 per cent in North America, but fell 10 per cent in Europe — where GM has begun pulling out the Chevrolet brand — and 15 per cent in South America, where sales were hurt by currency fluctuations and other issues.
GM fell behind Volkswagen AG, which sold 10.14 million vehicles last year.
Volkswagen also beat GM in sales in 2013. But that year, GM would have won if Volkswagen removed sales of its industrial truck brands, like Scania and MAN. GM doesn't make heavy industrial trucks.
In 2014, Volkswagen outsold GM by 15,000 vehicles even without its heavy truck sales, which totalled 199,900.
Volkswagen's sales rose 5 per cent in Europe last year and 11 per cent in China. They were flat in North America and fell 20 per cent in South America.
This content appears as provided to The Globe by the originating wire service. It has not been edited by Globe staff.