Now a piece of advice coming from Toyota for Volkswagen: Don't get obsessed over No. 1 status

In the wake of Volkswagen incurring its first quarterly loss in more than 15 years due to the global pollution-cheating scandal, the world's biggest automaker Toyota has something to offer to its German rival.

Toyota's top executive has offered some advice to Volkswagen: don't focus on being number one.

Akio Toyoda's comments come as both of them are locked in a neck-and-neck race for the title of world's biggest automaker this year, with the Japanese giant running ahead.

Attending the Tokyo Motor show, Toyoda said his company would now be shifting its goals to quality instead of quantity after being dented by a series of recalls in recent years.

He said that Toyota had quality issues in the past. “We are strongly committed not to repeat the same mistakes," Toyoda told reporters on Wednesday.

Earlier, Volkswagen's new chief executive apologized for the pollution-cheating crisis at the same show.

(Image: Reuters)