Nissan-Renault Drops to Third in Global Auto Sales

Tokyo, July 31 (QNA) - The alliance of Nissan, Renault and Mitsubishi Motors has fallen from the top spot in global auto sales. The group's sales fell about 6 percent in the first six months of this year to around 5.2 million vehicles. It was ranked first in the same period last year. Most of the sales slump came at Nissan, which reported an 8 percent drop due to a sluggish performance in the US and Europe. Nissan accounts for half of the alliance's total sales. Germany's Volkswagen took the top spot, selling more than 5.3 million vehicles. Japan's Toyota came in second, trailing Volkswagen by less than 54,000 vehicles. Toyota's six-month sales grew 2 percent from a year earlier, thanks to strong demand in China for luxury-brand cars. The company posted record sales for the third straight year in the first half. (QNA)