Toyota says may not achieve rise in Sept. U.S. sales

[Newbiewar]

Toyota says may not achieve rise in Sept. U.S. sales

Wednesday September 26, 2:33 am ET

TOKYO (Reuters) - A top executive at Toyota Motor Corp (Tokyo:7203.T - News) said on Wednesday that achieving a rise in U.S. sales in September might be tough because of a spike in sales in the same month a year earlier.

"We had an especially strong month last September, with growth of around 25 percent, so it may be difficult for sales to rise," Executive Vice President Mitsuo Kino$h!a told a small group of reporters.

He repeated, however, that Toyota's U.S. sales would likely rise for the full calendar year despite a weaker overall market for cars. Earlier this month, he said the automaker was on track to grow 5 percent in the United States, its biggest market.

Toyota's adjusted U.S. sales fell in July for the first time in almost three years, mainly due to difficult comparisons from the year before. They fell again in August.

In Japan, President Katsuaki Watanabe said he expected Toyota's sales to grow in September from the previous year thanks to a raft of new product launches since June, including the Blade and Vanguard models.

The world's most profitable carmaker unveiled on Wednesday another new car, Mark X Zio, exclusively for the domestic market with a goal of selling an average 4,000 units a month during the life of the model. For the first three months, it aims to sell 20,000 units, Watanabe said at the launch in Tokyo.

Japanese carmakers are struggling to spark interest in new cars at home, where vehicle sales, excluding 660cc minivehicles, have fallen every month for more than two years.

Executives declined to say what impact they expected on Toyota from a broad labor strike against General Motors Corp (NYSE:GM - News) in the United States. Toyota's unionized 50-50 joint venture plant with GM in California has not been affected by the strike.

The United Auto Workers began a nationwide strike against GM on Monday for the first time in 37 years after a 10-week round of contract talks stalled.

The two-day-old strike has spilled across borders, threatening production in Mexico and shutting down Canadian plants, even as the two sides resumed bargaining in Detroit.

[Camino LS6]

Early spin from Toyota. Perhaps September sales will be pretty bad, making it a three-month slide for them.

Good.

[Newbiewar]

toyota is cutting their throats with certain deals they are giving...

ive seen consumers asked by toyota and its dealers to turn in their leases after as little as 6 months...

just to bloat sales

iirc this time last year is when the camry first started to sell... but it didnt really gain much momentum just as the new tundra probably wont hit last months high of 18k?

It seems as though toyota has revised its 10% gain on the U.S. sales chart to a less then 5% gain on the annual... something if GM throws down a couple good months can out do.

I wonder if Toyota's sales are going to plateau for a while... without pres will their perception stedilly decline i wonder?

Its very rare for Toyota to fully admit to fault... sounds weird when they say weaker then expected car market, expecially when they claim to have the most fuel efficent vehicles

[Drew Dowdell]

Come on Toyota! You can do it! That new Tundra should start selling up to expectations soon.... you just gotta shake it up a bit!

oh...

wait...

[Newbiewar]

Come on Toyota! You can do it! That new Tundra should start selling up to expectations soon.... you just gotta shake it up a bit!

oh...

wait...

they did shake it up... didnt you see...?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U6KmwB2LyY

[Intrepidation]

they did shake it up... didnt you see...?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U6KmwB2LyY

Oh man, the Shadow rides better than that

[siegen]

This is hilarious. Even though it's nothing new with automakers, the fact that Toyota is trying to give excuses a week before sales figures are released, is simply laughable.

[Intrepidation]

My heart bleeds for them.

[Newbiewar]

My heart bleeds for them.

reminds me of a quote...

"You bled with William Wallace, now Bleed with me!"

"In the year of our Lord 1314. Patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen. And won their freedom."

as, GM charges forth!

[Intrepidation]

reminds me of a quote...

"You bled with William Wallace, now Bleed with me!"

"In the year of our Lord 1314. Patriots of Scotland, starving and outnumbered, charged the fields of Bannockburn. They fought like warrior poets. They fought like Scotsmen. And won their freedom."

as, GM charges forth!

I'd like to think it'll be GM, Chrysler, and Ford charging forth, to push back Toyota and proove that japan can't own every industry it pleases through dirty tricks :AH-HA_wink:

[gm4life]

This is very good news for GM, with a hole ton of new products coming out. Like the Tahoe/Yukon Hybrid, new CTS, new Malibu and the Enclave/Acaida/Outlook selling strong.

[Newbiewar]

This is very good news for GM, with a hole ton of new products coming out. Like the Tahoe/Yukon Hybrid, new CTS, new Malibu and the Enclave/Acaida/Outlook selling strong.

I think GM's profile of recently launched vehicles or new vehicles is about to shine...

new vehicles that i'm aware

Silverado

Sierra

GMT900 Hybrids

Saturn astra

New Saturn Vue

Saturn Outlook

Saturn aura (still gaining sales)

Pontiac G8

Pontiac Vibe (yuck, doesnt really help gm)

Chevy Malibu

Cadillac CTS

GMC arcaida

Buick Enclave

these vehicles will probably start to really shine through in 6 more months as next spring and tax returns start coming in...

then 6 months after that we have the camaro, possible ute, possibly new lacross, the chinese (holden) buick luxuary sedan

really dont know whats up with saab... but i think hummer is supposed to get something new soon...

sales should be good for a while... hopefully get a GMT900 refresh by 2010 or 09, just to spice up sales and let the chassis last a few more years