Volkswagen sold 5.04 million vehicles in the first six months of the year, edging Toyota's 5.02 million. General Motors, once the world's biggest automaker by a long shot, is now firmly entrenched in the No. 3 slot. It has not yet released its official first-half stats.The title of world's largest automaker is largely a symbolic victory. But it does serve as an effective gauge of how global strategies are unfolding.