Amid a general slowdown in sales and active promotion of electric vehicles, only one company managed to set a new historical record. This refers to Toyota, which achieved maximum sales volumes while relying minimally on fully electric models.
Different Approaches — Different Results
Toyota's main competitor remains the Volkswagen Group. However, the German group's bet on accelerated electrification did not yield the expected effect. By year-end, Volkswagen sold about 9 million vehicles, which is noticeably below both its previous figures and the Japanese manufacturer's results.
Toyota, in contrast, adopted a more restrained and pragmatic strategy. The primary focus was on conventional internal combustion engines (ICE) and hybrid powertrains. This approach allowed the company to maintain broad market coverage and avoid a sharp drop in demand.
Record Sales Figures
In 2025, Toyota, along with its subsidiaries Lexus, Daihatsu, and Hino, sold 11,322,575 vehicles worldwide. This is 4.6% more than the previous year and exceeds the prior historical maximum recorded in 2023.
Thus, Toyota became the only automaker able to not only retain leadership but also update its own sales record amid an unstable market.
Role of Electric Vehicles in Total Volume
Despite growing interest in electric transport, fully electric vehicles (EVs) played a minimal role in this success. Over the year, Toyota sold 199,137 EVs, accounting for just 1.7% of total sales. Although this figure grew by more than 40% compared to the previous year, its contribution to the overall result remains insignificant.
An even smaller share was occupied by hydrogen fuel cell vehicles — only 1,257 units worldwide. Other forms of electrification also did not become dominant:
- mild hybrids — 177,152 vehicles;
- plug-in hybrids — 183,458 vehicles;
- conventional hybrids — about 4.4 million vehicles.
The main sales volume — around 6.4 million vehicles — came from cars with traditional gasoline and diesel engines.
Situation in the European Market
Europe remains a relatively small market for Toyota. In 2025, 1,229,038 Toyota and Lexus vehicles were sold here, which is only 1% more than the previous year. Of these, about 948,000 had some form of electrification.
Fully electric versions in Europe also did not gain widespread adoption: their share was less than 52,000 vehicles. Most buyers still chose hybrids and plug-in hybrids.
Data for the Lexus Brand
Lexus showed a high percentage of electrified models — about 94% of total sales. However, in the vast majority of cases, these were hybrid versions. Purely electric models accounted for less than 10% of all brand registrations.
Conclusion
The 2025 results indicate that the mass market is still oriented toward proven technical solutions. Hybrids and vehicles with internal combustion engines remain the foundation of global sales, while electric vehicles currently play a supporting role even among industry leaders.
