Toyota reclaims world's top vehicle maker title 28 January 2013 Last updated at 06:07 Japanese carmaker Toyota has regained its slot as the world's biggest vehicle maker, capping a year of a dramatic turnaround in its fortunes. Toyota said it sold 9.75 million vehicles in 2012, a jump of more than 22% from a year earlier. General Motors, which was the biggest vehicle maker in 2011, sold 9.29 million vehicles in 2012. Toyota's sales in 2011 were hit by natural disasters in Japan and Thailand which hurt production at its factories. However, it has seen a steady recovery since then and has been regaining its share in key markets such as the US. In November, the Japanese carmaker raised its annual profit forecast. It has predicted a net profit of 780bn yen ($8.6bn; £5.4bn) for the financial year to 31 March 2013, up from its earlier of forecast of 760bn yen. "The last two years have been very difficult for Toyota," Vivek Vaidya, an auto analyst with Frost & Sullivan, told the BBC. "The regaining of the top slot would definitely be heartening for the firm and is good news for its investors and share holders," he added.