With record-breaking annual sales of 11.2 million cars in 2023, Toyota Motor Company maintained its position as the best-selling carmaker in the world for a record fourth year.

However, its chairman issued an apology on Tuesday about incidents involving three of its group firms.

The Japanese carmaker revealed a 7.2% increase in group sales worldwide in the previous year, which included revenues at truck division Hino Motors and small-car manufacturer Daihatsu.

The brand's reputation for quality and safety around the world may suffer as a result of governance problems with certification test protocols for automobiles and engines that have plagued those two subsidiaries and affiliate Toyota Industries.

At an event to announce a vision for the Toyota group founded by his great-grandfather that now includes 17 companies, Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda told reporters that he would like to express his deepest apologies to Toyota's customers and stakeholders for the inconvenience and concern caused by the successive irregularities at Hino Motors, Daihatsu, and Toyota Industries. He assured that the company would take swift and thorough actions to address the issues and prevent any future occurrences.

The ceremony was moved up from its initial date of February 14, which was Sakichi Toyoda's birthday, according to the business. This was done in response to recent anomalies at Toyota's group firms.

With the exception of 2020, when the auto industry suffered due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Toyota's global group sales have now exceeded 10 million vehicles for nine of the previous ten years.

This month, the German rival Volkswagen Group, ranked second, revealed a 12% increase in sales to 9.2 million vehicles last year, signaling a post-pandemic recovery as supply chain bottlenecks lessened. According to figures released on Tuesday, sales of Toyota's parent-only brands, which include Lexus and its own nameplate, reached a record 10.3 million units in 2023.