Volkswagen has stolen Toyota's crown to become the world's top carmaker by sales -- at least for the year so far. Data on vehicles sold by the companies during the first six months of 2015 show the German automaker nudged out its Japanese rival to claim the top spot, according to CNN Money.

Volkswagen sold 5.04 million vehicles from January to June, a slight dip from a year earlier. That compares to 5.02 million sold by Toyota over the same period. Group sales dropped 1.5% due to a weaker performance by its Toyota and Daihatsu brands.

Sales director Christian Klingler has warned specifically about tough market conditions in China Sales in China -- Volkswagen's largest single market -- dropped nearly 4% in the first half of the year. North America was brighter, where sales climbed 6%. Toyota also increased production in the U.S. But it's faced other challenges in recent months.