Toyota Passes GM, VW in Global Sales

Toyota Motor Corp. sold 4.97 million vehicles worldwide in the first six months of 2012, a 34% surge from a year earlier.

General Motors Co. posted a year-over-year sales gain of 3% to 4.67 million vehicles in the first half of 2012. The Volkswagen Group sales rose 9% to 4.45 million units in that period.

Analysts also expect Toyota to outsell rivals GM and VW for the full year. The Japanese company is eager to regain the sales crown it lost to GM last year, when natural disasters in Asia limited Toyota output. The company first surpassed longtime sales leader GM in 2008.

VW ran second in global volume in 2011 but aims to top Toyota by 2018.