Japan ’ s premier auto manufacturer , Toyota Motor , achieved its longstanding goal in 2017 , surpassing rival Volkswagen to become the largest automotive manufacturer globally , with a net revenue of $ 249.9bn . According to a report by the Economic Times , this state of affairs is likely to continue , with Toyota seeing a nearly doubling of profit for the fiscal third quarter , also lifting its annual profit projection through March to $ 22bn , a record high for the automaker . Toyota is looking to the evolving auto market with intent to disrupt current auto-identity conventions . Head of design Simon Humphries said : “ The boundaries between car makers , train makers , bicycle makers and whatever else are going to change . To suddenly think we might be moving into a future where we ’ re delivering cargo and mass transit at the same time , that ’ s a big mindset change for everybody .”

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