Toyota to Regain Title of No. 1 Automaker

GM replaced Toyota last year as the world's No. 1 automaker, thanks in part to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, along with a spate of embarrassing recalls for the Japanese company. It will be a short-lived reign. Toyota is on track to sell 9.7 million vehicles and easily reclaim the top spot in what the Los Angeles Times calls a "remarkable turnaround."

A big part of that is because of the US, where Toyota has sold 1.7 million cars and trucks, up an impressive 30%. That's 14.4% of the market, making Toyota the No. 1 brand here in retail sales. It's still having trouble with recalls, but a well-received lineup of 11 new or redesigned vehicles, including the Prius, seems to have overcome the negative headlines. (More Toyota stories.)