Toyota may top GM’s 2007 sales

Toyota Motor Corp. said it sold 9.37 million vehicles in 2007, which may have been enough to put it ahead of General Motors Corp. in the race for the “world’s biggest automaker,” a title GM has held for 76 years.

Toyota sold 7.1 million vehicles overseas last year, a 10% jump from 2006, offsetting a 4% decline in sales in Japan at 2.26 million vehicles, the automaker said. GM won’t reveal its annual sales tally until Jan. 23 but earlier estimated that 2007 sales would come to 9.3 million vehicles.

The rivalry between the two is hot as the industry shifts its focus to burgeoning markets, including China, Russia, South America and other regions with a growing middle class.