WOLFSBURG, Germany — Volkswagen on Thursday announced that it has made it into the rarefied ranks of the global industry's top three for the first time. The German automaker overtook Ford in the first half of the year as the world's third-largest carmaker by vehicle sales, Volkswagen said in a statement.'This shows that we are on the right track with our ever-stronger international presence and, above all, our product program,' said VW Chief Executive Martin Winterkorn. 'We will systematically push ahead with our growth course even in the present difficult market environment.'VW said its wholesales that include those to dealers jumped 7.2 percent in the first half of 2008 to 3.31 million vehicles, while Ford's wholesales were 3.22 million during the same period.What this means to you: It's rapidly shifting from Detroit's Big 3 to Detroit's 3. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent