April 2006 Sales: Toyota Motor Company

[sciguy_0504]

May 2, 2006 – Torrance, CA - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported an all-time best-ever sales month totaling 219,965 units in April, up 8.5 percent over the same period last year.

"The market for lower-priced, higher-mileage vehicles is showing strength, as are hybrids," said Jim Press, Toyota Motor Sales president and COO. "Record oil prices have a way of reminding us how close to the cliff we’re living."

The Toyota Division recorded an all-time best-ever sales month in April with 195,286 units, an increase of 10 percent, while the Lexus Division posted April sales of 24,679 units.

Toyota Division

Toyota Division’s passenger cars posted all-time best-ever sales in April of 114,670 units, an increase of 6.3 percent over last year. The completely redesigned 2007 Camry, which went on sale in late April, recorded best-ever April sales of 40,203 units, an increase of 3.3 percent. Arriving in showrooms the last week of April, the all-new Camry Hybrid had early sales of 86 units. Demand for the Prius gas-electric hybrid continues to outweigh supply, with sales totaling 8,234 units for the month. Making its U.S. debut in mid March, the Yaris subcompact posted robust sales of 6,393 units. The Corolla enjoyed all-time best-ever sales of 36,155 units in April, up 9.3 percent.

Toyota Division light truck sales reported a best-ever April totaling 80,616 units, an increase of 15.6 percent. Hybrid sales showed no signs of slowing, with the Highlander Hybrid gas-electric mid-size SUV reporting an all-time best-ever sales month of 3,768 units. Combined April sales of the Highlander and Highlander Hybrid totaled 10,712 units.

Sales of the RAV4 reached an all-time best-ever of 13,854 units, up 106.4 percent over the same period last year. The all-new FJ Cruiser, which debuted in late March, posted strong April sales of 5,649 units. The 4Runner mid-size SUV sales totaled 9,406 units for the month, up 14.7 percent over last April. Tacoma posted April sales of 15,220 units, up 4.3 percent over the same period last year.

Scion reported strong April sales of 15,444 units. The xA subcompact led the way with all-time best-ever sales of 3,331 units, an increase of 29.5 percent. The tC sports coupe posted April sales of 6,435 units, while the xB recorded sales of 5,678 units for the month.

Lexus Division

Lexus passenger cars posted best-ever April sales of 13,304 units, an increase of 11.2 percent. The IS luxury sport sedans reported best-ever April sales of 4,715 units, a 978.5 percent increase over last April. The IS 250 reported sales of 3,531, with the IS 350 recording 1,184 units. The all-new GS 450h hybrid luxury performance sedan went on sale the last week in April and posted early sales of 141 units.

Lexus light trucks recorded April sales of 11,375 units. The RX luxury utility vehicles posted combined April sales of 8,890 units. The RX 400h luxury hybrid SUV continued its steady sales performance with a total of 2,247 units in April.

Sales of North American-built vehicles accounted for 54.3 percent of total April sales. There were 26 selling days this April compared to 27 selling days last April.

For sales chart click here

Edited May 2, 2006 by VenSeattle

[VenSeattle]

ES 330                  4,603    5,597    -14.6    15,390    20,373  -23.7

LS 430                  1,071    2,398    -53.6        4,617  9,080  -48.6

SC 430                    579      778    -22.7        1,963  2,548  -22.2

GS 300                  1,963    2,657    -23.3        7,638  7,175    7.5

GS 430/450h            373      541    -28.4        1,208  1,681  -27.4

IS 250/350              4,715      454    978.5    17,880  1,774  917.9

TOTAL LEXUS

PASS. CAR          13,304 12,425  11.2    48,696    42,631      15.4

well well... Maybe someone from Toyota reads C&G afterall.

[Cremazie]

Prius, just wow... high gas and low sales!

[DBeaSSt]

Looks like quite a bit of bad news for Toyota sales actually.

Why is the brand new Camry only up 3.3%? Are they still ramping up production? I would have thought quite a few more would have sold than the previous month. And YTD sales are down.

Prius id certainly not doing well. Surprising considering gas prices and all the positive press hybrids in general are getting.

Every Lexus car is down, a lot, except the IS250 which is apparently new.

Big SUV's down quite a bit too. I supposed the new GM's and gas prices are impacting. FJ appears to be doing well. I guess ugly means sales! :AH-HA_wink:

Still doing better than GM though.

EDIT: Where is the Echo? Wasn't that still for sale last year? Not that I miss it.

Edited May 2, 2006 by DBeaSSt

[Snate]

The sales increase is all from the new Yaris and FJ. I imagine those sales will taper off after a few months after the novelty wears off.

[LTB51]

Prius id certainly not doing well.  Surprising considering gas prices and all the positive press hybrids in general are getting.

If they are selling all they can make (as they claim), then it must be a supply issue.

EDIT:  Where is the Echo?  Wasn't that still for sale last year?  Not that I miss it.

Replaced by Yaris. Good riddance.

[mustang84]

Did they goof up on the Camry figure? It says 40,435 sales for April 2005, and 40,203 sales for April 2006. Unless it's new math or something, that's a decrease 232 cars...so how exactly does that equate to a 3.3% gain?

Edit: I found another goof up...who's doing the math at Toyota?

4X2 TACOMA              9,109    9,314      1.6

Last I checked, 9314 minus 9109 = decrease of 205, which does not equal a 1.6% gain. Edited May 3, 2006 by mustang84

[sciguy_0504]

The sales increase is all from the new Yaris and FJ.  I imagine those sales will taper off after a few months after the novelty wears off.

As well as the Corolla, RAV4 and 4Runner. I am surprised the 4Runner was up that much, there must have been a good deal on them.

The Camry went on sale in late April, apparently, so a 3.3% monthly increase is pretty good considering it has not been on sale a full month yet. The year-to-date drop is probably due to the new model coming on line. I believe Prius production has dropped from its highs in order to reign in supply. Perhaps the negative hybrid press as had an effect? Lexus needs the new ES and LS fast, as well as a new sporty car to replace the SC. The drop in GS sales is weird.

[Northstar]

Did they goof up on the Camry figure?  It says 40,435 sales for April 2005, and 40,203 sales for April 2006.  Unless it's new math or something, that's a decrease 232 cars...so how exactly does that equate to a 3.3% gain?

There was an extra selling day this year vs. last year (in April). The percentages are done on a day-by-day basis, not on total sales.

[mustang84]

There was an extra selling day this year vs. last year (in April). The percentages are done on a day-by-day basis, not on total sales.

Ahh...my bad.

[VenSeattle]

The Camry went on sale in late April, apparently, so a 3.3% monthly increase is pretty good considering it has not been on sale a full month yet. 

I know what the Press Release says, but I'm finding that very hard to believe because I've been seeing 2007 Camrys on the road since March, and Toyota was already replacing 6-sp automatics by mid-April.

[I hope GMRULES again]

True. I've been seeing them since mid March too but maybe April was their first full month that all dealers had a supply.

[Matt276]

Did they goof up on the Camry figure?  It says 40,435 sales for April 2005, and 40,203 sales for April 2006.  Unless it's new math or something, that's a decrease 232 cars...so how exactly does that equate to a 3.3% gain?

Edit: I found another goof up...who's doing the math at Toyota?

Last I checked, 9314 minus 9109 = decrease of 205, which does not equal a 1.6% gain.

Less selling days this year. Edited May 3, 2006 by Matt276

[VenSeattle]

True. I've been seeing them since mid March too but maybe April was their first full month that all dealers had a supply.

Yeah, but looking at the Press Release comments, I have a feeling they meant to say the 2007 Camry went on sale in late March, where the Camry Hybrid went on sale the last week of April:

The completely redesigned 2007 Camry, which went on sale in late April, recorded best-ever April sales of 40,203 units, an increase of 3.3 percent. Arriving in showrooms the last week of April, the all-new Camry Hybrid had early sales of 86 units.