Sales rose 4.3 percent from 10.30 million in 2016, when Volkswagen passed Japanese rival Toyota to become the globe's largest auto producer for that year. The figures show the Wolfsburg-based company continuing its effort to move past a scandal that broke in September 2015 over cars it had rigged to cheat on diesel emissions tests. Sales last year were boosted by a strong December, when sales rose 8.5 percent. For the year, the company saw big jumps in Russia and Brazil, and significant gains in China and the United States. CEO Matthias Mueller said in a statement Wednesday that 'we are thankful for the trust of our customers.'