Less than two years after trudging through a bankruptcy and government bailout, General Motors has bounced back to regain the title of world's top-selling automaker.  GM had previously held this title for more than 70 years before Toyota claimed it in 2008, but the numbers are in and GM is back on top.  GM sold 9.03 million vehicles in 2011, a 7.6% increase from 2010's sales.  Toyota dropped to number three with 7.9 million vehicles sold, and Volkswagen holds strong at number two with 8.16 million sold.

GM's comeback was partially powered by the strength of its flagship brand, Chevrolet.  The Chevrolet brand on its own sold nearly 4.8 million vehicles, which was not only a record number for the brand, but is also more than what many entire auto companies posted in sales last year, including Nissan and Honda.  GM as a whole also performed well around the world, with particularly strong sales in both the U.S. and China.

Also coming into play was the fact that one of GM's biggest competitors, Toyota, was adversely affected by the aftermath of Japan's earthquake and tsunami last March.  GM has been careful, though, to avoid celebrating excessively amidst Toyota's struggles.  In an interview last year, Chief Executive Daniel Akerson said, "I want to win in the marketplace, but I want to win against a healthy and vibrant Toyota and Honda.  Next year, we'll put the gloves back on, and I'm sure they'll go right back at us and we'll go back at them."

But for now, General Motors gets to quietly celebrate quite a prestigious honor and accomplishment, and it's expected that the morale boost will only further the company's success throughout 2012.