TOKYO - Toyota's global sales increased five percent in October from a year earlier to about 640,000 vehicles, the first such rise in 15 months, Kyodo News reported Wednesday citing unnamed company sources.

Toyota Motor Corp. announced earlier this month a surprise return to profit in the quarter to September and narrowed its loss forecast for the full year, helped by demand for fuel-efficient cars.

The Japanese maker overtook US rival General Motors in 2008 as the world's top-selling automaker but fell into the red for the first time in the year to March 2009.

It has idled plants and slashed thousands of jobs as it tries to weather its biggest ever crisis. Toyota is due to officially announce its October sales figures later this month.