The Volkswagen Group has displaced Ford Motor Co. and has become the world’s third largest carmaker in terms of global sales. According to latest sales numbers, VW Group sold 3.31 million vehicles in the first half of the year, with Ford racking up only 3.22 million. For Ford this must be Deja Vu as it was only in 2004 when it lost the second spot to Toyota. Ford has been witnessing very harsh business environment in the U.S and has already closed down thousands of dealerships. Infact Ford has recently announced a $700,000 compensation package for dealers who voluntarily decide to shut shop. In the same pool, Toyota is marching towards the #1 spot by selling 280,000 units more than General Motors globally during the first six months of 2008.