Toyota beats GM in worldwide sales in first half

DETROIT - Toyota beat General Motors in worldwide sales in the first half of the year.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it sold 4.8 million vehicles between January and June, up 2 percent from the same period a year ago. General Motors Corp. says it sold 4.5 million vehicles in the same period, or about 300,000 less than Toyota.

GM says its total sales fell 3 percent in the first half of the year due to economic pressures and labor disruptions in the U.S. market. But the automaker says it posted record-breaking sales in other regions, including Latin America, Asia and Europe.

GM narrowly beat Toyota in total sales last year to retain the title of the world's largest automaker by sales.