The phrase “best ever” was
used 13 times in Toyota’s press release detailing its sales for the month of January 2006. Let’s see if we
can break it down for you. Toyota’s North American division had its best January ever thanks to records sales for
both its Toyota and Lexus divisions. Toyota’s cars, light trucks and the Scion brand all had a record-setting
month of sales in January. Lexus passenger cars also set a sales record last month, but the Lexus light truck division
that includes the LX 470, GX 470, RX300 and RX400h was shut out of the party with a decline in sales of 15.1 percent
over the same month last year.
One interesting note: 59 percent of the vehicles Toyota sold in North America
in January were built in North America.
Check out the press release and Toyota’s unfiltered numbers
after the jump.
[Source: Toyota]
Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported best-ever January sales of 160,625 units, an increase of
14 percent over last year.
“The year’s off to a respectable start, with hybrids and fuel-efficient
vehicles leading the way,” said Jim Press, TMS president and COO. “January’s bright job-market outlook and
the uptick in consumer confidence bode well for the industry, as do signs the economy has bounced back from the Gulf
Coast hurricanes.”
The Toyota Division recorded best-ever January sales of 140,967, an increase of
14.9 percent. The Lexus Division posted January sales of 19,658 units, up 7.7 percent over last January.
Toyota Division
Toyota Division passenger cars led the way with
best-ever January sales of 77,638, up 11.9 percent. The Prius gas-electric hybrid mid-size sedan posted best-ever
January sales of 7,654, up 37.5 percent.
Scion reported best-ever January sales with 10,701 units sold. The
xB urban utility vehicle recorded a best-ever January with 3,836 units, up 13.6 percent. The tC sports coupe had
best-ever January sales of 4,807 units, up 25.4 percent. The xA subcompact posted a best-ever January with 2,058 units
sold, an increase of 19.0 percent.
Toyota Division light-truck sales reported a best-ever January of 63,329
units, an increase of 18.8 percent. The Tundra full-size pickup posted a best-ever January with 9,459 units sold, an
increase of 8.5 percent. Sales of the Tacoma compact pickup truck recorded 12,410 units sold, up 31.5 percent over the
same period last year. The all-new RAV4 posted best-ever sales of 9,382 units, a 120.4-percent increase. The Highlander
Hybrid gas-electric mid-size SUV reported January sales of 2,263 units. Combined January sales of the Highlander and
Highlander Hybrid totaled 8,748 units.
Lexus Division
Lexus
passenger cars experienced a best-ever January with 10,979 vehicles sold, an increase of 36.9 percent. The all-new IS
luxury sports sedans, which debuted in October, reported record January sales of 4,073 units, a 799-percent increase
over last January. The IS 250 reported sales of 2,767, with the IS 350 selling 1,306 units. The GS 300 sedan posted
sales of 1,699 units, a best-ever January, and a 291.5-percent increase over the same period last year. The GS 430
reported January sales of 279 units, a 310.3-percent increase over last January.
Lexus light trucks earned
January sales of 8,679 units. The RX 400h luxury hybrid SUV reported January sales of 1,477 units. The RX 330 and RX
400h posted combined January sales of 6,189 units.
Sales of North American-built vehicles accounted for 59
percent of total January sales. There were 24 selling days both this month and the year-ago month.