URGENT: Toyota to be world’s top auto seller in Jan.-June for 4th yr in row

Toyota Motor Corp. group is set to be the world’s top auto seller in the first half of 2023, outpacing Germany’s Volkswagen AG and its other rivals in the Jan.-June period for the fourth straight year, industry data showed Friday.

Toyota said it sold 5.42 million vehicles globally in the six months ended June, including those sold by the group’s minivehicle maker Daihatsu Motor Co. and truck manufacturer Hino Motors Ltd., up 5.5 percent from a year ago.