The first quarter of 2007 proves to be the best quarter that the Toyota Motor Corp. has ever had. The said quarter marks the start of the automakers title as the worlds top automaker.

According to Satoshi Yamaguchi, Toyota sold 2.348 million vehicles around the globe in the January to March quarter thus surpassing the 2.260 million vehicles that the General Motors Corp. said it sold during the same period. The results mark the first time Toyota has beat GM in global sales on a quarterly basis, he said.

Though the figures only represent quarterly sales results, they create a tough challenge to GM, which is fighting hard to defend its throne in the auto industry. The claim is basically staked on yearly production figures.

Last year, Toyota's global production increased ten percent to 9.018 million vehicles worldwide, while GM produced 9.180, creating a gap of about 162,000 units. In the first quarter, Toyota made 2.367 million vehicles worldwide, while GM targeted 2.335 million units.

It is not high time to do the braking, trust the efficiency of the EBC brake pads and start popping the champagne. This is because overtaking GM is not Toyota's first priority, said Paul Nolasco who works as a spokesman for the Japanese company. "Our goal has never been to sell the most cars in the world," Nolasco said. "We simply want to be the best in quality. After that, sales will take care of themselves." A company spokesman added, "Our only objective is for Toyota to be No. 1 in terms of quality. We'll let the numbers speak for themselves.

And Toyotas reputation for quality, technology and fuel efficiency has pushed its global sales to the top. The hot selling vehicles from the fast rising Japanese automaker include the famous Camry, Corolla and the Prius hybrid. Toyota has been gaining steadily on GM in recent years. Additionally, analysts have earlier predicted a new reign when they saw that GMs market shares are sliding in the United States.

GM, on the other hand, cut production in the previous year due to high fuel prices that drove purchasers away from trucks and SUVs. To shore up earnings, the automaker has entertained job cuts and plant closures.

In the American market, Toyota's sales increased 12.9 percent in 2006, zooming past DaimlerChrysler AG as the top three sellers of vehicles in the U.S. market. Toyota's share of the market rose 16 percent in March, behind GM's 22 percent and the Ford Motor Co.'s 17 percent. GM has not released its official forecast for this year but Toyota is shooting for global target of 9.42 million vehicles and sales of 9.34 million units.