Autoblog

Toyota Prius now third-most-popular car in the world... sort of

Sebastian Blanco — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:58:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Hybrid, Wagon, Hatchback, Toyota

Think you're seeing more Toyota Prius models on the road these days? Well, you are.

Automotive News is reporting that all those increased Prius sales in the U.S. and Japan (see here and here and here and here etc.) have turned the Prius into the world's third-best-selling car model for the first three months of 2012. During the first quarter, the Prius sold 247,230 copies around the world. The only cars that sold more during that time were the Toyota Corolla (300,800) and the Ford Focus (277,000).

There's an asterisk on the Prius' figures: much of that new success is due to the fact that there are a brace of new Prius models, namely the C, V and Plug-in - that have expanded the line, with the C being the "car of the moment in Japan," according to Automotive News. Sales in the U.S. were up 42 percent in the first quarter. The new models and the increased sales make up what AN calls a "Prius surge," one that could be capacity constrained in the States. AN writes that the sales pace could reach 250,000 units, but Toyota only has 220,000 units assigned to the market. More vehicles have been ordered, a Toyota exec says, but whether or not they arrive is uncertain. After last year's production issues, though, this is the good kind of problem to have.

Toyota Prius now third-most-popular car in the world... sort of originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 May 2012 13:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toyota Prius C outsells monthly totals of Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf in three days

Sebastian Blanco — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:10:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Budget, Hybrid, Hatchback, Toyota

Toyota is pretty sure that its expanded Prius family will drive up sales of the world's best-selling hybrid, and the early sales returns indicate that the company is right, right, right.

After the Prius V sold about 8,400 units in the U.S. in the first ten weeks, the smaller, cheaper and more efficient 2012 Toyota Prius C is also getting a lot of attention. Toyota announced today that the C sold 1,201 units in just the first three days it was on sale. That's enough to make it "one of Toyota's fastest-selling vehicles," according to the automaker, which also pointed out that those three days of sales is more than either the Nissan Leaf or Chevrolet Volt sold all last month.

If anything, those 1,201 sales are not as impressive as the C managed in Japan (where it is badged 'Aqua') - Toyota obtained 120,000 orders in the first five days it was on sale, though it isn't immediately clear how many units have actually been sold. So far, the newly expanded Prius family has sold almost 10,000 units in the U.S. through the first half of March. This certainly points to the Prius franchise doing well in 2012. Last year in the U.S., Toyota sold 136,463 examples of its Prius Liftback (it sold 140,928 in 2010) and expects to sell 220,000 Prius models of all types here this year.

Continue reading Toyota Prius C outsells monthly totals of Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf in three days

Toyota Prius C outsells monthly totals of Chevy Volt, Nissan Leaf in three days originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 16 Mar 2012 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

University study shows recalls have hardly hurt Toyota

Zach Bowman — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Etc., Recalls, Safety, Toyota

If you think Toyota is still reeling from negative opinions stirred up by the company's rash of recalls in 2009, North Carolina State University has some news for you. According to a new study conducted by researchers at the institution, the recalls had "little to no impact" on how buyers see the Japanese automaker. Robert Hammond, an assistant professor of economics at NCSU, says the research specifically looked at the used car market to negate the impact of outside factors like incentives, marketing campaigns and models not associated with the recall to begin with.

The idea was that examining average prices of models affected by recalls associated with sudden acceleration would give researchers an idea of how willing buyers were to pay for the vehicles. Overall, used cars covered by the recall campaigns saw their price decline by a mere two percent. The figure is within the statistical margin of error for the study.

So, what's behind the slow in Toyota sales? Despite an abundance of fleet sales last month that saw the company's figures swell by 7.5 percent over January 2011, Toyota still fell well behind the industry average. With production back on track after last year's earthquake tragedy, the company may have some explaining to do. Hit the jump for the full press release.

Continue reading University study shows recalls have hardly hurt Toyota

University study shows recalls have hardly hurt Toyota originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 16 Feb 2012 13:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toyota details plans for October sales growth

Zach Bowman — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:28:00 EST

Filed under: Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Toyota saw another unfortunate month of sales in September. The automaker saw its sales figures fall by 18 percent compared to the same time last year, thanks largely to lower-than-average dealer inventory brought on by this year's earthquake and tsunami disasters. Toyota sold 121,451 vehicles in the U.S. last month across its three brands. The company moved 147,162 vehicles during the month of September last year.

Even so, the automaker says that October will show sales improvements, according to Automotive News. Bob Carter, group vice president of Toyota Motor Sales, said that right now, U.S. dealers have a 30-day supply of vehicles, and that inventory will continue to grow in the coming months.

Carter also underscored the fact that his company would reverse a five-month trend of sales losses in October and once again post gains. That's likely to be true given that the 2012 Toyota Camry and Camry Hybrid are likely to bring in buyers as well as the company's Prius V. In addition, the 2012 Yaris is slated to show up in the fourth quarter alongside the Scion iQ.

Toyota details plans for October sales growth originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 08:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

GM retakes World's Largest Automaker title from Toyota thanks to quake

Zach Bowman — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, GM, Toyota, Volkswagen, Earnings/Financials

Bloomberg is reporting that General Motors has taken back the crown as the world's largest automaker. The Detroit-based company outsold Toyota through the first six months of 2011, thanks largely to the manufacturer's production shortages brought on by this year's earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. GM sold a total of 4.536 million units worldwide through June 30, Volkswagen moved 4.13 million vehicles, while Toyota numbers fell to 3.71 million units. Bloomberg reports that production at the company's Toyota City facility plummeted by 23 percent after a full production stop following the March earthquake.

Even so, Toyota says that it plans to institute an aggressive production recovery period during September, one month ahead of schedule, to help satiate demand. Those efforts still might not be enough to put the Japanese automaker ahead of Volkswagen through the remainder of 2011, however. Analysts say that's due to the simple logistics of delivering vehicles from their production facilities to the dealerships that need them most.

GM retakes World's Largest Automaker title from Toyota thanks to quake originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Toyota remains world's largest automaker for third year in a row despite troubles

Zach Bowman — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:02:00 EST

Filed under: China, Japan, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Despite weathering a rocky 2010 marked by repeated recalls, Toyota managed to remain the world's largest automaker last year. According to Bloomberg, the Japanese manufacturer saw its sales rise by eight percent to 8.42 million units if you include Lexus, Hino and Daihatsu. That figure beat out General Motors, which saw its sales increase by 12 percent with 8.39 million units sold.

While Toyota's sales in the U.S. market dropped by 0.4 percent due to safety concerns, the automaker saw large increases in China. The company's sales in the People's Republic jumped by 19 percent, though General Motors saw its Chinese sales increase by 29 percent.

Volkswagen, meanwhile, managed to move 7.14 million vehicles during 2010, cementing its place as the third-largest automaker in the world. That figure marks a 14 percent increase over 2009, and VW says that it fully expects to see sales increase by five percent in 2011.

Toyota is forecasting its sales to hit 8.6 million vehicles in 2011.

[Source: Bloomberg | Image: Ralph Orlowski/Getty Images]

Report: Toyota remains world's largest automaker for third year in a row despite troubles originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Despite tough year, Toyota finishes 2010 with best-selling car, brand and luxury marque titles

Zach Bowman — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:31:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Lexus, Scion, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

2010 Lexus GX460 - Click above for high-res image gallery

By most accounts, Toyota didn't have the rosiest of years in 2010. Hounded by safety recalls, lawsuits and government investigations, the automaker saw its once spotless reputation grow more sullied by the month. Still, it's important to note that none of these issues stopped the Japanese automaker from snagging some impressive U.S. sales titles, including the best-selling car (Camry), brand (Toyota) and luxury marque (Lexus) for 2010, not including fleet sales. All told, the entire company saw 1,763,595 sales through 2010 - a number that's more or less comparable to its 2009 figures. The Toyota brand itself walked away with 1,534,266 of those sales, while Lexus sent home 229,329 units and Scion managed to move a further 45,678 vehicles.

While the Toyota division's sales stayed flat for 2010 compared to 2009, Lexus sales jumped by 6.9 percent. The luxury brand's increase was driven largely by its light truck sales, which were up 13.3 percent compared to 2009. Interestingly enough, the Lexus GX saw sales increase by 165.6 percent over 2009 numbers, with 16,450 units sold. Hit the jump for the full press release. Thanks for the tip, Michael!

Gallery: 2010 Lexus GX460

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading Despite tough year, Toyota finishes 2010 with best-selling car, brand and luxury marque titles

Despite tough year, Toyota finishes 2010 with best-selling car, brand and luxury marque titles originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 11:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Toyota trimming global production goals for 2011

Zach Bowman — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:01:00 EST

Filed under: Japan, Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota

According to Reuters, Toyota has scaled back its production forecasts for 2011. Thanks to slowly improving sales in the U.S., the automaker has trimmed its plans for next year from eight million vehicles to 7.8 million - a drop of 200,000 units. If that's the case, 2011 will mark the third straight year that the Japanese Automaker has fallen short of the eight million unit mark, excluding Daihatsu and Hino Motors. The report came courtesy of a Japanese newspaper, which cited an unnamed source for the information. Toyota does not publish its production plans.

Reuters says that in the first 10 months of 2010, the company managed to match 2009 production numbers with 6.37 million vehicles. While the final total for this year is expected to be a good deal higher, there's little chance of the company pre auto-industry crash figures this year or next. With government incentives for fuel-efficient vehicles, specifically hybrids, on their way out the door, Reuters reports that sales for the big three Japanese automakers have fallen considerably.

[Source: Reuters]

Report: Toyota trimming global production goals for 2011 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Dec 2010 10:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toyota earns $1.2B in Q1 amidst recall mess

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 11 May 2010 13:28:00 EST

Filed under: Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Conventional wisdom might tell you that Toyota should have lost loads of money last quarter in the wake of the company's largest-ever global recall and safety scandal. Perhaps it shouldn't surprise us too much to hear that conventional wisdom would be all wrong. In reality, Toyota reported a profit between January and March of this year of $1.2 billion.

This profit comes despite the fact that Toyota reports expenditures related to the recall mess at a little over a billion dollars (or, 100 billion yen) and surely took a monetary hit compared to previous years due to the unprecedented spate of incentives to keep sales rolling. The gurus at Edmunds estimate that Toyota's incentive spending is up by over half (an average of $2,498 per vehicle) compared to the previous year.

According to company head Akio Toyoda, the automaker plans to continue boosting profits by "[offering] high quality, reasonably priced vehicles." That certainly sounds reasonable, no? Executing on that promise, though, is the hard part. Click on past the break for a complete rundown of Toyota's latest financial report.

[Source: The Detroit News, Toyota | Image: David McNew/Getty]

Continue reading Toyota earns $1.2B in Q1 amidst recall mess

Toyota earns $1.2B in Q1 amidst recall mess originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 May 2010 13:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Toyota will continue heavy incentives through April

Frank Filipponio — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:29:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Toyota

If it ain't broken, don't fix it. The Detroit News is reporting that Toyota will continue offering its current sales incentives through April. And why not? Those deals helped boost sales some 40 percent in March, and after the dip in sales that resulted from its headline-hogging recalls, Toyota is anxious to keep sales rolling. Somebody has to pay for that $16 million fine the government is collecting, so more sales are always a good thing.

The deals include discounted leases on popular models like the Camry, Corolla and RAV4. And if leasing isn't your thing, Toyota Motor Corp. will also extend its zero-percent financing program. Even better, the company plans to expand its two-year free maintenance program to all customers. It was previously available to return customers only, but based on its popularity, Toyota has extended the offer to any new car customer.

[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images]

Report: Toyota will continue heavy incentives through April originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 07 Apr 2010 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Lentz: Toyota sales expected to be up 30% in March, incentives working

Zach Bowman — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:28:00 EST

Filed under: SUV, Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Despite pulling in the reins on production facilities in the U.S. and Europe, Toyota says it's on track to topple its sales figures for this time last year. According to Jim Lentz, President of Toyota Motor Sales, by the time all the numbers come in for March, sales should be up 30-35 percent over 2009, even with the negative impact from the company's recall bombardment.

Curiously enough, the biggest motivator behind the upswing is the Rav4. Toyota moved a total of 22,000 of the small SUVs during March, thanks largely to aggressive incentives and an overall market recovery. No matter the cause, the numbers are clearly good news for a company that's seen its reputation plummet in recent months.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req'd]

Lentz: Toyota sales expected to be up 30% in March, incentives working originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toyota idles production in France, UK and U.S. to cope with weak demand

Zach Bowman — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:01:00 EST

Filed under: Europe, Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota, Earnings/Financials

Toyota Yaris 5-Door Liftback (UK market) - Click above for a high-res image gallery

Toyota manufacturing plants are beginning to feel the backlash from the company's wave after wave of recent global recalls. The company just announced it will stop production at its European facilities for a total of 12 days in April. The plants are responsible for building the European Yaris and upcoming Auris hybrid, but since demand for the company's products are currently hanging out in dumpsters everywhere, workers will find themselves with a few extra days of unwanted vacation.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the European production stop comes on the heels of similar action here in the States. Toyota recently decided to "adjust production" at two of its factories here in the land of the free. Workers at those locations can expect the doors to be closed for a total of two weeks over the course of March and April.

Gallery: Toyota Yaris 5-door Liftback (UK Version)

[Source: Wall Street Journal]

Toyota idles production in France, UK and U.S. to cope with weak demand originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 30 Mar 2010 14:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Toyota sales may bounce back big time in March

Chris Shunk — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Marketing/Advertising, Toyota

As Toyota's recall issues hit a fevered pitch over the past few months, customer confidence faltered and sales predictably suffered. We were wondering how Toyota would react to the comparative dearth of showroom traffic, and the answer was to take a page out of the domestic's tattered handbook: big-time incentives.

On March 1, Toyota announced zero percent financing, subsidized leases and free maintenance for two years, and the early results appear to be extremely favorable. Automotive News reports that analysts are seeing big-time gains for the Japanese automaker, with evidence that sales are up 50 percent so far for the month. A 50 percent sales increase for the month would more than wipe out Toyota's depressing January and February, but analysts like Edmund's Jessica Caldwell reportedly feel sales will level out to a predicted 30 percent rise by March 31. "Incentives work best in the early going, but they start to peter out as the month goes along."

So does news of a Toyota sales increase means that Americans are tuning out the recent influx of bad news including a pair of reported runaway Prius hybrids in the interest of saving money? AN reports that analysts like Caldwell and George Magliano at IHS Global Insight feel Toyota loyalists are jumping at the company's big-time incentives, and the brand will have to try new things to attract new customers in the months ahead. That may be true, but we're thinking Toyota must be more than a bit relieved that customers are coming back to showrooms, at least for now.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req. | Image: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images]

Report: Toyota sales may bounce back big time in March originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

Report: Ford to benefit most from Toyota's woes in February sales totals

Chris Shunk — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:19:00 EST

Filed under: Ford, Toyota

2010 Ford Fusion Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

Toyota is bracing for lower February sales as its massive recall and the ensuing media storm have cast a shadow over the automaker. Just how low can Toyota go? The Detroit Free Press says it could see its lowest US market share in over five years this month, with about 12 percent of U.S. sales.

Most analysts anticipate that Toyota will have a very rough month, but the big question on their minds is which automakers stand to gain the most from Toyota's pain. Edmunds and TruCar reportedly think that winner will be Ford, as they estimate that the Oval will see a 35-percent sales increase. If correct, that'll vastly outpace the nine to 14 percent increase for the month that was previously forecasted.

Despite Ford's anticipated performance and projected double-digit gains for the industry as a whole, the market is still struggling. After all, these February 2010 sales projections are increases in relation to the dismal February 2009 numbers, which came as the recession helped deliver the industry its lowest sales levels in 30 years. February 2010 sales are also expected to be generally lower because of the multiple east coast snowstorms that kept customers out of dealerships for much of the month.

Gallery: Review: 2010 Ford Fusion Sport

[Source: The Detroit Free Press]

Report: Ford to benefit most from Toyota's woes in February sales totals originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Pedal Power: Toyota sales fall 16% in January

John Neff — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Recalls, Toyota

We'll have our By the Numbers report for January sales ready in about an hour, but in the meantime, we thought you'd like to know how Toyota sales fared considering, well... everything that's going on. As you can see from the chart below, sales in January for both Toyota Motor Company and the Toyota brand itself were down versus January 2009 - 16 percent and nearly 19 percent, respectively (all percentages reflect the change in total volume and do not take into account that there were two less selling days in January 2010 versus January 2009). As you'll also see later in our By the Numbers report, that's in contrast to many of Toyota's competitors that enjoyed an increase in sales last month.

We've also included sales performance numbers for each model affected by the latest sticking pedal recall (models affected by the floormat recall are not all included, although some models are involved in both recalls). Again, sales for every recalled model were down despite the recall having been announced relatively late in the month on January 21. Of particular note are models like the Corolla/Matrix (Toyota doesn't separate out sales numbers for these two vehicles) and the Camry, the two biggest sellers involved in the recall. The Camry, the perennial best-selling car in the U.S., was actually beat last month by the Honda Accord, which saw its sales jump over 25 percent to 20,759 units in January 2010.

	January 2010	January 2009	Change (%)	December 2009	Change (%)
Toyota Motor Co	98,796	117,287	-15.76	187,860	-47.41
Toyota	83,279	102,565	-18.80	159,295	-47.72

RAV4	7,894	8,034	-1.74	16,742	-52.85
Corolla/Matrix	17,121	19,238	-11.00	34,220	-49.97
Avalon	944	2,119	-55.45	2,574	-63.33
Camry	15,792	20,782	-24.01	34,946	-54.81
Highlander	4,478	5,757	-22.22	9,442	-52.57
Tundra	3,904	7,076	-44.83	8,870	-55.99
Sequoia	644	1,592	-59.55	1,760	-63.41

We also threw in sales numbers for December 2009 to compare how Toyota fared month-to-month. A direct comparison with the month before the recall was announced is difficult, however, since December sales are usually inflated by year-end sales incentives.

Of course, January is just a preview of what Toyota may expect in February. While a fix for the recall was announced this week and dealers should start repairing vehicles by week's end, the PR damage has been done and may get even worse if two House hearings on the matter scheduled to take place next month bring more negative information to light.

Pedal Power: Toyota sales fall 16% in January originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 02 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

BREAKING: Toyota temporarily halts sales of selected models *UPDATED

Jeremy Korzeniewski — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:50:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Recalls, Safety, Toyota

Toyota has announced that it will halt sales of eight models due to its ongoing problems with unintended acceleration. At issue are accelerator pedal mechanisms that could get stuck in the open position due to wear, causing the vehicle to accelerate uncontrollably. Earlier this month, Toyota announced a recall of 2.3 million vehicles with the possible defect.

Late last year, the Japanese automaker recalled nearly four million vehicles for floor mats that could trap accelerator pedals, also causing unintended acceleration. The two issues are apparently unrelated, though a total of 1.7 million vehicles are affected by both issues.

The following eight models are included in the sales suspension (you can see them all in the gallery below):

2009-2010 RAV4
2009-2010 Corolla
2009-2010 Matrix
2005-2010 Avalon
Certain 2007-2010 Camry models
2010 Highlander
2007-2010 Tundra
2008-2010 Sequoia

No Lexus or Scion sales have been halted, and due to the sales suspension of the above eight models, a number of manufacturing plants will be shut down for at least the week of February 1st. Click past the break for all the details on the recall and the plants being shuttered in North America.

*UPDATE: Toyota has confirmed to us that the Camry Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid are not included in the sales suspension. Toyota has also reiterated that no Lexus or Scion models are included as these cars are built in Japan.

Gallery: Toyota Sticky Pedal Recall - 2/26/10

[Source: Toyota]

Continue reading BREAKING: Toyota temporarily halts sales of selected models *UPDATED

BREAKING: Toyota temporarily halts sales of selected models *UPDATED originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments

REPORT: Toyota U.S. president Lentz believes Prius could supplant Camry as brand's best seller

Chris Shunk — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:31:00 EST

Filed under: Hybrid, Hatchback, Toyota

2010 Toyota Prius - Click above for high-res image gallery

The Toyota Camry has been the best selling car in the US for 11 of the past 12 years, and only a total industry meltdown has managed to slow the Japanese automaker's bread-and-butter sedan. Even with that impediment, the Camry still has a comfortable lead versus its archrivals, the Honda Accord and Nissan Altima. In fact, the only vehicles to routinely beat the Camry in overall vehicle sales are the Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado, and those vehicles need dozens of configurations and both regular and heavy-duty variants to retain their overall sales leads. Conversely, the Prius isn't even the second best-selling Toyota right now (that would be the Corolla), but it wouldn't surprise Toyota USA President Jim Lentz if the ubiquitous hybrid hatch passed the Camry for sales supremacy sometime next decade.

Lentz reportedly told Wards Auto that he envisions the Prius passing the Camry in the next decade, but not because he foresees the midsize sedan slipping. Instead, Lentz says, "I think Prius will become just that much stronger." The reason Toyota's top U.S. man sees the Prius taking over Toyota's top sales spot is because he feels that rising gas prices and growing eco-awareness will push more car buyers into hybrids. That, combined with the high regard in which many Americans hold the Prius makes for a very compelling long-term argument. Lentz also says that a full lineup of Prius-badged vehicles is far from a sure thing, though he says he pushes executives in that direction each time he visits Toyota's Japan headquarters

While we can see a future where the Prius overtakes the Camry for sales supremacy, we don't see it happening any time soon. Toyota's world renowned hybrid had its best-ever sales year in 2007, and 2009 numbers promise to fall about 40,000 units short of that bogey. Did we mention that the Camry is still outselling the Prius at a nearly three-to-one clip?

Gallery: Review: 2010 Toyota Prius

[Source: Wards Automotive]

REPORT: Toyota U.S. president Lentz believes Prius could supplant Camry as brand's best seller originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

REPORT: Toyota increases 2009-2010 global sales forecast by 3%

Chris Shunk — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:59:00 EST

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Toyota

There have been subtle signs that demand for new cars and trucks are improving. Several automakers plan to increase production over the next few months, and Toyota is no different. Reuters is reporting that the World's Largest Automaker has raised its sales forecast by 3% to 6.7 million units for the year ending March 2010. Toyota is also reportedly looking to increase production by a not-so-subtle 8% to a total of 6.45 million units. Toyota is neither confirming or denying the report, which originated in the Tokyo Shimbun daily.

Some of the reasons cited for the increased forecast and production center around incentives from governments all over the world. Here in the States, Cash for Clunkers payed a big role in Toyota's sales increase, while low emissions vehicle subsidies of up to $2,800 by the Japanese government has helped spur sales in the automaker's home market.

[Source: Reuters]

REPORT: Toyota increases 2009-2010 global sales forecast by 3% originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Toyota raises production forecast by 3%; losing ground to GM

Chris Shunk — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST

Filed under: GM, Toyota, Volkswagen

The global auto sales downturn has been as painful as it's been swift, but a report from Yomiuri shows that the worst of times may be over. The Japanese news agency (via Automotive News) reports that Toyota has raised its vehicle production forecast upwards by 3% to 6.5 million units. That's still a far cry from Toyota's amazing 2008, yet the positive adjustment is still worth over 300,000 units of additional production.

That's welcome news to Toyota's manufacturing facilities around the world, as the drop in sales in the first half of 2009 left the Japanese automaker with far too much inventory. With the upward revision of production for the rest of the year, factories could be running more steadily.

While Toyota appears to be back on the upswing, it's facing renewed pressure from General Motors for the top spot in global sales. In the first half of 2009, GM closed the gap in overall production to only 11,000 units versus Toyota, a far cry from the 274,000 unit differential in the first half of 2008. GM, which struggled more than most in the US during the first half of the year, had far stronger results in emerging markets like China and South America, with overall sales down 21% versus 2008. Toyota's sales dipped 26% during the same period. Volkswagen also made a big jump compared to Toyota, as the German automaker's sales dropped only 5.1% in the first half of the year. VW is now within 500,000 units of Toyota during the first six months of the year.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

Toyota raises production forecast by 3%; losing ground to GM originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

REPORT: Toyota sees U.S. turnaround in sight, plans to boost production

Chris Shunk — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:32:00 EST

Filed under: Toyota

Auto sales in 2009 have been a real stinker, but companies are starting to feel a bit more bullish about the immediate future of the industry. Earlier this week, Ford announced that it was bumping Q3 production by 10%, and now Toyota is getting more aggressive still by adding 65,000 units to its Q2 quota. The Aishi, Japan-based automaker plans to add production to its most popular models. The Camry, Corolla, Sienna, Tundra, Tacoma and Rav4 are all going to see more action during the summer months.

Part of the reason for Toyota's optimism is due to the Japanese automaker's May sales. On the surface, sales were putrid, with a decline of 40% versus May 2008. But last May 2008 was a far better month for Toyota than it was many of its competitors, making the 40% figure a bit misleading. Toyota's sales actually increased by 21% when compared to April 2009.

[Source: Automotive News subs req'd]

REPORT: Toyota sees U.S. turnaround in sight, plans to boost production originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments