GM officially reclaims top automaker title

DETROIT—It’s official: General Motors Co. sold more than nine million cars and trucks in 2011—enough to reclaim the title of the world's top-selling automaker.

The company says it sold 9.03 million vehicles last year, up 7.6 per cent from 2010.

GM beat out Toyota, which took the crown away from GM in 2008.

Toyota sold 7.9 million vehicles last year, but was impacted by the March earthquake in Japan, which cut factory production and hurt sales.

Germany's Volkswagen took second place with a record 8.156 million sales in 2011, up 14 per cent over 2010.

Before 2008, GM had held the title for more than seven decades.

While the title doesn't mean much to GM's bottom line, it's an example of how far the company has come since it nearly collapsed in financial ruin in 2009.