TOKYO, July 29, 2023 (BSS/XINHUA) - Toyota Motor Corp. sold 5.1 percent more vehicles in the first half of 2023 compared to the same period last year, owing to exceptionally stronger demand in Japan.

The automaker sold some 4.9 million vehicles globally in the six months through June, including the luxury brand Lexus, with its sales in Japan jumping 33.2 percent year on year to reach 878,215 units, it said on Friday.

Meanwhile, the company's sales in the United States dropped 0.7 percent to just over 1 million vehicles and those in Asia fell half a percent to about 1.5 million units.

In June, global sales increased 10 percent to 898,947 units, helped by growing demand, including for electrified vehicles such as hybrids, in key markets such as the United States and Europe.