Volkswagen Leads Toyota in Global Sales in First Half of 2015

It appears the bold prediction made by Volkswagen Group made in 2007 that it would become the world’s biggest automaker by sales volume by 2018 is gradually becoming a reality. Performance of the company lately is reaffirming that they mean serious business.

After several years of global dominance by Toyota Motor Corp., Volkswagen AG surpassed the latter to become the biggest automaker by deliveries in the first half, putting the company on track to capture the worldwide sales crown three years ahead of its target.

Toyota on Tuesday said it sold 5.02 million vehicles in the six months through June, trailing the 5.04 million that Volkswagen reported earlier this month.

Both automakers have seen their sales decline slightly this year, with Toyota’s numbers coming in 1.5 percent lower than at the same time a year ago, and VW’s coming in 0.5 percent lower. General Motors Company, which is traditionally near the top, sold 4.86 million vehicles in the first half of 2015, down 1.2 percent on last year.