German automotive giant Volkswagen (VW) has for the first time edged past Japanese carmaker Toyota to rise to the numero uno position in automobile sales during the first half of the current year.
VW managed to sell 5.04 million units from January to June, while Toyota's count during the same period stood at 5.02 million, according to a report by BBC.
With this, Volkswagen has fulfilled its objective to beat Toyota three years in advance as the German carmaker had set 2018 as the timeline, thanks to encouraging sales in China and recovery in European market. The company aims to surpass the 10.1 million cars sales it made last year.
Toyota has attributed the dip in sales by 1.5% as compared to that of last year to a slowdown in the emerging markets. The Japanese firm, which posted sales of 10.23 million vehicles last year, estimates to clock the count to 10.15 million this year.
Center of Automotive Management head Stefan Bratzel said: "VW is snatching the sales crown in difficult times with major car markets in decline. They will need to withstand the slowdown in China if they want to keep the top spot.
"The hunt for scale only makes sense if it boosts synergies, something VW hasn't really been able to achieve... Dependence on China is VW's weak spot and managing such a large group inevitably poses problems."
However, Reuters observed that maintaining the top position would pose a challenge for VW as deliveries are drooping in China, which accounts for one-third of its global sales, leaving before it the alternative to rely on western European demand.
