Toyota Motor Corp., rebounding from lost production after last year's natural disasters, is on an annual pace to outsell General Motors and Volkswagen and reclaim its title as the world's top-selling automaker.
Toyota sales rose 34 percent in the first six months of the year to 4.97 million vehicles globally, leading GM by 300,000 and VW by 520,000 deliveries. GM's global deliveries rose 2.9 percent to 4.67 million during the first half, while VW sales increased 8.9 percent to 4.45 million, according to the companies.
The results pave the way for Toyota to reclaim the lead in annual global auto sales from GM a year after the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and floods in Thailand roiled production.