Toyota has kept its pole position for world vehicle sales for the first quarter of this year, outpacing rivals General Motors and Volkswagen.

The Japanese manufacturer said it sold 2.583 million vehicles in the January-March period, ahead of Detroit-based GM at 2.42 million and Volkswagen of Germany at 2.4 million.

Toyota's first quarter sales rose by more than 6% from the same period the previous year. GM's sales grew 2%, while Volkswagen's added nearly 6%.

Toyota finished first last year with a record 9.98 million vehicles in sales, remaining the top-selling car maker for a second year in a row. General Motors finished second and VW third.

Toyota is targeting sales of more than 10 million vehicles this year.

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