Toyota Sales Slip Below VW

Toyota sold 4.99 million vehicles in the first half of 2016 compared with 5.12 million for Volkswagen and 1.44 million fo General Motors, according to company reports.

If the trend continues, VW will end Toyota’s four-year run as the world’s largest carmaker this year.

VW’s group sales climbed 5% in the first half, in spite of the negative impact of its global diesel emission cheating scandal. Over the same period, Toyota’s volume shrank 1%. General Motors Co.’s sales in the first half totaled 1.44 million cars and trucks.

Toyota blames its decline on production disruptions throughout Japan in February, coupled with a global shift in consumer demand from thrifty sedans to roomier crossover vehicles and SUVs. In the U.S., for example, sales of Toyota’s redesigned and upgraded Prius hybrid sedan currently trail deliveries of the company’s Tacoma midsize pickup truck by more than 40%.