Nathan Bomey

USA TODAY

Volkswagen Group soared past Toyota Motor as the world's largest automaker in 2016, capturing the crown for the first time in a bittersweet accomplishment attributable almost entirely to booming sales in China.

Though VW coveted the crown for years, having set its sights on the title by 2018, don't expect to see a festive celebration. The company is engulfed in a global emissions scandal that takes the sheen off its accomplishments. The company recently agreed to pay some $22 billion in settlements and plead guilty to criminal charges in the U.S. over its admission that it rigged diesel vehicles with software to cheat emissions regulations.

Just because VW made the most cars doesn't mean that it's the most profitable. VW CEO Matthias Mueller recently said the company would no longer make volume leadership one of its primary goals.

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Still, it's a notable achievement. VW sold 10.31 million vehicles worldwide in 2016, up 3.8% from a year earlier.

Toyota said late Sunday that it had sold 10.18 million vehicles, up 0.2%, confirming suspicions that it slipped out of the top spot. The Japanese automaker had held the crown for seven of the last eight years, having passed General Motors in 2008 for the top spot.

GM, which had held the crown for decades, lost it in 2008 to Toyota as the U.S. automaker neared collapse into bankruptcy and a federal bailout. During its resurgence, the company briefly recaptured the crown in 2011 when Toyota's sales dipped after reports that some car models had a problem that caused them to accelerate on their own, an issue that became known as unintended acceleration.

For Volkswagen, last year's gains came primarily from China, where it is the largest seller of new vehicles. The company sold 3.98 million vehicles in China in 2016, up 12.2% for the year. U.S. sales fell 2.6% for the year to 591,100 units.

In 2017, China could surpass Europe as VW's largest market. The company's Europe sales rose 4% to 4.21 million units in 2016.

Volkswagen's global brands include the flagship VW, luxury line Audi and sports car brand Porsche.

Despite losing the crown to VW, Toyota remains the envy of the global auto industry for its efficient production and strong profit margins.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.