VW could claim global sales crown for yearFRANKFURT, Germany — It’s ironic: Volkswagen spent 2016 battling a huge emissions scandal and now it stands a decent chance to win the title of world’s biggest carmaker for the year.Booming business in China helped Volkswagen increase its sales to 10.31 million vehicles last year across all its brands, which include Audi, Porsche and Skoda, the company said Tuesday.That was an increase of 3.8 percent over 2015, when Volkswagen came in second to Toyota. And a strong finish to the year in December improves the company’s chances of moving from No. 2 to No. 1 in global sales.

J&J to reveal average drug price increasesJohnson & Johnson plans next month to disclose average price increases of its prescription drugs, as the industry tries to calm the storm over soaring prices.The health care giant will divulge its 2016 average increases in list price and net price, or what middlemen such as insurers and distributors pay J&J after discounts and rebates.Analysts say that will help J&J’s image more than patients initially, but could push other drugmakers to tame future price increases and be more transparent.

Honda recalls 772K more vehiclesTOKYO — Honda Motor Co. is recalling 772,000 additional Honda and Acura vehicles in the U.S. for defective front passenger seat air bag inflators made by Japanese supplier Takata Corp.The vehicles, announced in a recall late Tuesday by Honda in the U.S., are part of an expanded recall of 1.29 million vehicles, including some recalled earlier.Takata is at the center of a massive recall of inflators that can explode in a crash.