This Oct. 23, 2019 file photo shows the logo of Toyota Motor Corp. (Mainichi)

       NAGOYA (Kyodo) -- Toyota Motor Corp. remained the world's best-selling automaker with a record 5.47 million vehicles sold for the first six months of 2021, outpacing German archrival Volkswagen AG, the Japanese company's data showed Thursday.

       It is the second year in a row that Toyota has been the world's top automaker in the first half, underscoring its sharp recovery from the initial fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and relative resilience despite a global chip crunch.

       Toyota's previous record sales for the first half of a year was set in 2019 with about 5.31 million units sold globally.

       Toyota has enjoyed robust sales in its key markets such as the United States and China. A Toyota official said the automaker has been able to "limit" the impact of the global semiconductor shortage.

       In the January-June period, Toyota sold 5,467,218 vehicles globally, up 31.3 percent from a year earlier. The figure includes those sold by its minivehicle-manufacturing subsidiary Daihatsu Motor Co. and truck maker Hino Motors Ltd.

       Volkswagen sold 4,978,200 vehicles in the same period, up 27.9 percent from a year earlier.

       In the six months to June, strong demand for new models in North America and China lifted Toyota's overseas sales to a record 4.3 million units, a 36.5 percent year-on-year jump.

       In Japan, the manufacturer of the Harrier SUV and Yaris compact car reported a 15.0 percent gain in sales to 1.17 million vehicles, including minicars with engines of up to 660 cc., Toyota said.

       Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., which have formed a three-way alliance with France's Renault SA, are set to release their sales figures later in the day, but they are expected to be far behind Toyota in global sales.

       In the whole of 2020, Toyota reclaimed its crown as the top-selling automaker from Volkswagen for the first time in five years.

       The global shortage of chips has forced automakers including Toyota and Volkswagen to curb production, casting a shadow over the auto industry. The pandemic has been boosting demand for semiconductors, used in a variety of products from laptops and game consoles to cars.

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