TOKYO (dpa-AFX) - Japanese auto giant Toyota has once again maintained its top spot in global sales, keeping rival Volkswagen at bay despite a slight decline. Toyota announced Monday that the group, which also includes small car specialist Daihatsu and commercial vehicle maker Hino Motors, sold 10.48 million vehicles worldwide last year. This is 0.1 percent less than in the previous year. Despite supply bottlenecks for semiconductors as a result of the Corona pandemic, Toyota maintained its 2022 production at a high level. It increased by 5.3 percent year-on-year to 10.61 million vehicles. Volkswagen suffered a 7.0 percent drop in sales last year to just under 8.26 million vehicles due to the global chip crisis./ln/DP/zb