Toyota surpassed General Motors as the world's largest car maker in 2008, the same year that GM celebrated its 100th anniversary. GM announced that it sold 8.35 million vehicles in 2008 today. Toyota sold 8.97 million, according to this here article in the New York Times. Although both saw a decline in sales, Toyota's decline was less. Toyota had overtaken G.M. on a quarterly basis, but this is the first time that GM had been knocked out of the top spot in yearly totals since 1931. Toyota's surge in recent years has been tied to energy efficient cars like the Prius. GM still outsells Toyota in the U.S. but Toyota gained worldwide, according to the article. Meanwhile, Fiat is angling to cement an alliance with Chrysler. If you want to know where your federal bailout money is going, the answer is Rome.