A 2014 Cadillac ELR is loaded onto a transport at the General Motors’ Detroit-Hamtramck plant on December 17, 2013. (Photo: John F. Martin/General Motors)

DETROIT — General Motors sold 9.71 million cars and trucks last year, probably not enough to beat out Toyota for the global sales crown, but about 200,000 better than Volkswagen.

Toyota, the sales champion in 2012, will report its sales next week. It only needs to show a little growth to beat GM again.

GM said Tuesday that sales of light vehicles worldwide grew 4 per cent in 2013, led by growth in China and the United Kingdom. The companys sales in China rose 11 per cent to set a record. U.S. sales were up 7 per cent, slightly below the markets growth of nearly 8 per cent.

Volkswagen said Monday that it sold 9.5 million light vehicles last year, setting a company record for overall sales.

Toyota sold roughly 9.7 million cars and trucks in 2012, recapturing the lead it ceded to GM in 2011.

RELATED: GM set to retake top automaker title

GM was the top-selling carmaker for more than seven decades before losing the title to Toyota in 2008. But GM retook the sales crown in 2011 when Toyotas factories were slowed by an earthquake and tsunami in Japan. The disaster left Toyota dealers with few cars to sell. The Japanese company has since recovered.

Both companies say publicly that they dont care about who wins, but concede that the crown is an important morale booster for employees.

Toyotas global sales for the first nine months of the year reached 7.41 million vehicles, little changed from the previous year but outpacing General Motors to keep its lead over GM. Detroit-based GM sold 7.25 million vehicles from January through September.