VW half-year world sales leader despite scandal


              FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2015, file photo, the VW sign of Germany's Volkswagen car company is displayed at the building of a company's retailer in Berlin. Volkswagen diesel owners can choose to either sell their car back to the company or get a repair that could diminish the vehicle’s performance under a settlement of claims tied to the German automaker’s emissions-cheating scandal. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2015, file photo, the VW sign of Germany's Volkswagen car company is displayed at the building of a company's retailer in Berlin. Volkswagen diesel owners can choose to either sell their car back to the company or get a repair that could diminish the vehicle’s performance under a settlement of claims tied to the German automaker’s emissions-cheating scandal. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)
photo FILE - In this Oct. 5, 2015, file photo, the VW sign of Germany's Volkswagen car company is displayed at the building of a company's retailer in Berlin. Volkswagen diesel owners can choose to either sell their car back to the company or get a repair that could diminish the vehicle’s performance under a settlement of claims tied to the German automaker’s emissions-cheating scandal. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)

Despite the diesel emissions scandal, Volkswagen Group sold more cars and light trucks than any other carmaker in the first half of 2016 worldwide, according to the Center for Automotive Management.

The carmaker sold 5.04 million vehicles by the end of June, up 0.8 percent from a year ago, said the German publication Deutsche Welle.

Global rival Toyota came a close second with 4.99 million vehicles sold, an increase of 1.0 percent. General Motors was third with 4.77 million vehicles sold, a year-on-year decrease of 1.8 percent, according to the center.

VW's strong sales were attributable in large part to its core markets in Western Europe and China.

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