TOKYO - Toyota Motor Corp's global vehicle sales rose 5 percent in October to about 640,000 units, marking the first year-on-year increase in 15 months, the world's biggest automaker said on Wednesday.

Last month, Toyota's sales in its biggest market, the United States, fell 3.5 percent, but grew 15 percent in Japan and 45 percent in China.

Toyota executives had said sales in the United States would likely start picking up around October due to easier comparisons from the year before, when sales began to tank after the collapse of Lehman Brothers.

Toyota's shares were littled changed on the news, down 1.1 percent at 3,530 yen in late afternoon trade, in line with Tokyo's TOPIX index. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

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