Toyota is top car seller but GM closes in

FLINT, Mich. — General Motors has a shot at being No. 1 again.

The resurgent automaker reported Monday that its worldwide sales last year came within 30,000 of beating Japanese rival Toyota, which took a big hit because of safety recalls.

GM is hiring, producing more and basking in a better reputation for quality. It expects to sell even more cars and trucks this year, putting it within reach of the title of biggest in the world — an honor it held for 76 years before losing it in 2008.

GM executives say they are focused on keeping customers happy, not on the title of No. 1. They remember the company’s disastrous recent history, when it sold cars at a loss just to hold on to market share.

Now GM is outselling Toyota in fast-growing China, and its U.S. business is bouncing back. To overtake Toyota, it needs a sales increase of half a percentage point, about the number of Chevy Silverado pickup trucks it sells per month in the U.S.

Toyota is still wounded from recalls of more than 10 million vehicles, mainly to fix gas pedals and floor mats that could make cars speed out of control. It was the only major automaker with lower U.S. sales in December, and it’s uncertain when sales will recover.

Toyota sold 8.42 million vehicles worldwide in 2010, barely ahead of GM’s 8.39 million. GM made an impressive turnaround from 2009, when it was forced to take nearly $50 billion in government help and go through bankruptcy.

The federal government still owns about a third of General Motors and is gradually selling its GM stock on the open market.