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Toyota maintains world's largest automaker crown, GM and VW close behind

Toyota still holds the title of World's Largest Automaker. The Japanese automaker ceded the claim to General Motors in 2011 following a series of natural and man-made disasters that stifled production in Asia. Production is back up to full speed and, coupled with the introduction of a new Camry midsize sedan, Toyota retook the title in 2012 and has so far been able to keep it by selling 2.43 million vehicles in the first quarter of 2013.
The race is still tight - General Motors reports sales of 2.36 million vehicles, earning it the second spot globally with Volkswagen's 2.27 million sales nabbing the German automaker third place. It's not all smooth sailing for Toyota, either, as the brand's first-quarter figures were down 2.2 percent when compared to last year. GM posted a 3.6-percent gain and VW managed a 5.1-percent gain over the same period.
Sales in China may be a deciding factor as to which automaker performs best in 2013. Toyota's figures were down 13 percent in China. Meanwhile, GM and VW are continuing their upward trajectories in the crucial Chinese market.

Toyota plotting WRC-inspired Yaris hot hatch

The emergence of the new Honda Civic Type R goes to show that the Japanese can make hot hatches every bit as good as the Europeans. But though it's been a while since Toyota had a serious contender in the game, word has it that it's about to jump back in. The impetus for Toyota's (re-)entry into the hot hatch segment is its impending return to the World Rally Championship. The company announced just a couple of months ago its intention to run a Yaris-based (or at least -styled) rally machine in the WRC by 2017, and now the latest reports indicate a road-going version won't be too far behind. Though the competition-spec model is expected to pack a 1.6-liter turbo four built by Toyota Motorsport GmbH specifically to comply with FIA regulations, the street-legal Yaris hot hatch is tipped to carry the 2.0-liter turbo four from the Lexus NX 200t. Though the jury's still out, it'd likely stick with front-drive instead of a more complex all-wheel drive system, but with a six-speed manual and a limited slip differential, it has all the potential to be a real firecracker. Only a limited number will likely be offered, ostensibly to meet FIA homologation requirement – in the same vein as the Citroen DS3 Racing or the Volkswagen Polo WRC Street – and likely to carry a similarly premium price tag in the neighborhood of 34,000 euros. We'd be pleasantly surprised if any of them were to make it to North American showrooms, though.

These are the 'Greenest' and 'Meanest' cars in 2015

As has become tradition, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) has come up with a ranking of what it refers to as the "greenest" cars of 2015, and, by way of contrast, a list of the so-called "meanest" cars, so those who value eco-friendliness over all else can choose which vehicles they should or should not consider buying. As you may expect, electric cars make up the majority of the greenest cars on the list, but, perhaps surprisingly to many, the Tesla Model S didn't make the cut. It's worth noting, too, that where the electricity an owner uses to charge their electric vehicle has a big impact on its overall environmental impact. "A car that is charged using electricity generated from natural gas or renewables is going to have significantly less impact on the environment than one charged on a coal-heavy grid," says ACEEE lead vehicle analyst Shruti Vaidyanathan. The ACEEE's list for 2015 looks very different than it did in 2014. It's an interesting collection, though – and we're sure this goes without saying, really – we'd recommend doing a bit more research into each vehicle and how it might fit into your daily life before making any purchase decisions. Click here to see the ACEEE's list of the Greenest and Meanest vehicles sold in the United States in 2015. Green Bugatti Chevrolet Fiat GM GMC Mercedes-Benz Nissan RAM smart Toyota greenest greenest cars