Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday that its group sold 5.16 million vehicles worldwide in the first half of 2024, outselling German rival Volkswagen AG to retain the top spot in global sales for the fifth straight year. But its global sales in the January-June period, including those of its small-car manufacturing unit Daihatsu Motor Co. and truck-making subsidiary Hino Motors Ltd., fell 4.7 percent from a year earlier due to a production halt stemming from a series of quality scandals and sluggish sales in China.