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Both GM and Toyota have said in the past that they don't care about the global sales leadership and are focusing on making profits. But the sales crown is a matter of corporate pride for both automakers. Toyota's production was hit by the earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan last year and then by flooding in Thailand. Its sales were also dented by massive U.S. safety recalls, totaling more than 14 million vehicles since the quality control problems emerged three years ago. GM was No. 1 in world auto sales last year. The U.S. and China are GM's two biggest markets. The Detroit company was the top-selling automaker for more than seven decades before losing it to Toyota in 2008. Last year, Toyota dropped to No. 3 after Volkswagen AG of Germany. For the first three quarters, Toyota outpaced Volkswagen, which sold just under 7 million vehicles for that period, up 12 percent from the previous year. Volkswagen was in third place for the first half, selling nearly 4.5 million vehicles.
[Associated
Press;
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