Toyota Motor sold 9.56 million vehicles worldwide from January to November, with strong sales in China, on par with the same period of 2021, putting it on track to beat Volkswagen and lead the global market for a third straight year, reported Nikkei Asia on December 26.

Strong showings in China and Southeast Asia gave Toyota a leg up this year, though the industry in general struggled to meet demand as issues such as the global semiconductor shortage bogged down production.

Toyota's parent-only sales -- excluding Daihatsu and Hino -- in China grew 2% as a capacity expansion in the summer helped the automaker tap a recovery in demand dampened by the pandemic. Corolla and Camry sedans sold especially well.

Volkswagen did not fare as well in Asia, with sales down 6% in China and up only 6% in the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. China's pandemic lockdowns disrupted parts supplies and maritime shipping, even affecting production at the automaker's mainstay Wolfsburg plant in northern Germany.

China accounts for around 40% of new-auto sales at Volkswagen, compared with 20% at Toyota, which entered the market later. But the smaller scale of Toyota's business there likely limited the impact of the lockdown and chip supply issues, said the Nikkei Asia report.