Toyota Rises 8.7% in March, Lexus Flattens Out With a 0.8% Increase
Boosted by record hybrid sales, Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported all-time best-ever monthly sales of 242,675 vehicles, an increase of 7.7 percent over March 2006.
"This month marks a milestone eight years in the making," said Jim Lentz, TMS executive vice president. "Record U.S. sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrids have now topped the half-million mark." The Toyota Division posted best-ever March sales of 213,820, up 8.7 percent. The Lexus Division reported best-ever March sales of 28,855 units.
Toyota Division
Toyota Division passenger cars recorded best-ever March sales of 121,881, up 13.6 percent over the same period last year. Passenger car sales were led by Camry, which posted March sales of 42,254, up 4.5 percent over the same period last year. Camry Hybrid reported sales of 5,144 units in March. The Prius hybrid gas-electric mid-size sedan posted all-time best-ever monthly sales for the second consecutive month with 19,156 units sold, an increase of 133.2 percent. Corolla reported best-ever March sales of 34,355, an increase of 2.5 percent. The Yaris subcompact posted sales totaling 7,614 units for the month.
Toyota Division light truck sales were up 2.9 percent, an all-time best-ever month of 91,939 units. Light truck sales were led by the RAV4 compact sport utility vehicle (SUV), which reported all-time best-ever sales of 17,837, up 27.5 percent over the year-ago month. The all-new Tundra full-size pickup reported sales of 13,196 units, up 7.8 percent over Tundra sales last March. The Highlander and Highlander Hybrid posted combined March sales of 11,693. The Highlander Hybrid gas-electric mid-size SUV reported sales of 2,501 units for the month. FJ Cruiser reported March sales of 6,057 units.
Scion posted March sales of 10,978 units. The tC sports coupe led the way with March sales of 6,314 units. Scion xB posted sales of 2,799 units for the month.
Lexus Division
Lexus passenger cars reported best-ever March sales of 18,128 units, an increase of 26.7 percent over March 2006. Passenger car sales were led by the ES 350 luxury sedan with March sales of 7,444 units, up 69.7 percent. The all-new LS 460 reported sales of 3,134, an increase of 125.4 percent.
Lexus Division light trucks reported March sales totaling 10,727 units with the RX 350 and RX 400h reporting combined March sales of 8,603 units. The RX 400h hybrid luxury utility vehicle reported sales of 1,471 units for the month.
TMS calendar-year-to-date hybrid sales totaled 61,635 units, an increase of 68 percent over the same period last year, while cumulative hybrid sales to-date surpassed the 500,000 sales mark. In March, TMS posted sales of 28,453 hybrid vehicles, up 105 percent. Toyota Division posted sales of 26,801 hybrids, up 137 percent over the same period last year, while the Lexus Division posted sales of 1,652 hybrids.