Toyota has returned to the top slot in global vehicle sales after releasing figures for the first nine months of the year.
The Japanese carmaker sold 7.5 million in the first three quarters of 2015, beating Volkswagen's 7.43 million and General Motors' 7.2 million.
After six months of the year, VW was ahead of Toyota, in pole position for the first time.
VW's emissions scandal emerged towards the end of September.
The discovery of software that was able to mislead emissions tests on diesel cars may have more effect on VW's sales in the remainder of the year.
Toyota's sales for the first nine months were 1.5% below the level at the same stage last year.