Toyota Sales Woes Continue, Down 6.3% Lexus Down 19.6% in May

Toyota Division
Toyota Division passenger cars recorded May sales of 152,652 units, down 0.9 percent over the same period last year. Passenger-car sales were led by Corolla, which posted all-time best-ever sales of 52,826 units, an increase of 12.4 percent over May 2007. Camry and Camry Hybrid posted combined sales of 51,291 in May. Camry Hybrid reported May sales of 5,999 units. With limited availability, the Prius hybrid gas-electric mid-size sedan posted May sales of 15,011 units. Yaris reported all-time best-ever sales of 14,397 units, up 26.6 percent over the year-ago month.

Toyota Division light trucks recorded May sales of 78,159 units, down 15.3 percent from May 2007. Light truck sales were led by the Tacoma mid-size pickup, reporting May sales of 17,341 units, up 4.2 percent over May 2007. The Tundra full-size pickup posted May sales of 12,144 units. Highlander and Highlander Hybrid posted combined sales of 10,841 units in May. The Highlander Hybrid gas-electric mid-size SUV reported May sales of 2,644 units. Sequoia posted sales of 3,575 units for the month, up 75 percent over the same period last year.

Scion posted May sales of 14,858 units, up 28.4 percent over the year ago month. The xB urban utility vehicle led the way with May sales of 5,351 units, an increase of 40.9 percent over last May. The tC sports coupe, entering its fifth model year, posted May sales of 5,166 units. The xD reported all-time best-ever sales of 4,337 units.

Lexus Division
Lexus passenger cars reported May sales of 16,290 units, a decrease of 21.3 percent from May 2007. Passenger-car sales were led by the ES entry luxury sedan with May sales of 6,831 units. The IS entry luxury sport sedan reported combined sales of 5,420 units. The LS flagship luxury sedan reported combined sales of 2,115 units. Sales of the GS luxury sport sedan reported combined May sales of 1,708 units.

Lexus Division light trucks reported May sales totaling 10,303 units, down 16.7 percent from the year-ago month. Lexus sales were led by the RX luxury utility vehicle, which posted combined May sales of 8,082 units. The RX 400h hybrid luxury utility vehicle reported May sales of 2,155 units, up 19 percent over the year-ago month. The all-new LX 570 enjoyed sales of 827 units, an increase of 201.7 percent versus the same period last year

TMS Hybrids
TMS calendar-year-to-date hybrid sales totaled 127,353 units. TMS posted May sales of 26,019 hybrid vehicles. Toyota Division posted sales of 23,654 hybrids for the month. Lexus Division posted May sales of 2,365 hybrids, an 18 percent increase over the same period last year.

BMW4me4ever - 6/3/2008 3:13:44 PM

+2 Boost

ouch that has got to hurt

BMW4me4ever - 6/3/2008 4:57:05 PM

+3 Boost

they just updated their line-up in the last 2 years. The ES came out just over a year ago. The IS250 came out 3 years ago. The new LX570 and revamped GX470. How bout the GS which changed last year also? or the LS460 came out within the year. The RX is the only vehicle that has not changed. The new RX will not save lexus and keep them from declining every month for the rest of the year.

LexusKindaGuy12 - 6/3/2008 5:14:17 PM

-2 Boost

bmw...sure the ES was revamped. it is till selling strong at 6K sales in may. the LX is a low volume vehicle, and got a increase of over 200% over last year. the LS is also a low volume car due to the price range. and the GS, which is not almost 4 years old, just got a new grill and turn signals. thats hardly a refresh. The GX just got more chrome, which is hardly a refresh at all.

so really, only the ES and LS are relatively new. you also failed to mention the SC which is on its 6th year. hopefully, that will be changed soon.

BMW4me4ever - 6/3/2008 5:23:52 PM

-1 Boost

I said the IS series came out in 2004 or 2005. That is pretty new. The GS had a complete makeover in 2006.

The SC is a low volume car and wont make an impact. The Rx is the only significant change that has yet to make. This will not save Lexus from a continuation of decline. 11 months in a row ...

LexusKindaGuy12 - 6/3/2008 7:26:40 PM

+1 Boost

the GS was redesigned before the IS. it was the first car to get the L-finesse styling. it was a 2006 model first that came out in 2005. and the IS was a 2006 model that came out in 2006

Agent63 - 6/4/2008 12:38:29 AM

+2 Boost

Lol. Michael Taylor at it again.

DieselRules - 6/4/2008 2:56:34 AM

+1 Boost

Michael Taylor: LEXUS DOESN'T EXIST ELSEWHERE!
They buy the TOYOTA ES300 elsewhere.
Lexus is a name for Japanese-built Toyotas sold in America.
Get with the program!

F1_Driver - 6/4/2008 12:44:07 PM

+1 Boost

Toyota ES300? Is it anything like a VW A4 or VW A3???

LexusKindaGuy12 - 6/3/2008 4:19:30 PM

-3 Boost

yeh this pretty much sucks. sums up the bad economy in the US and the lack of new models in the lexus lineup

im pretty sure this will turn around next year with the new RX and the supposed dedicated hybrid

LexusKindaGuy12 - 6/3/2008 4:21:34 PM

-2 Boost

forgot to add that last May in 2007 was a report of the best lexus overall sales, with over 30K vehicles sold. so that explains the huge drop of 20 percent.

bmwdrvr - 6/3/2008 6:08:05 PM

0 Boost

that really is a huge drop in sales.....to be honest judging by the rest of the luxury car makers I would say the economy has alot to do with it not to mention gas prices...though almost 20% is a big decline

bestofallcad - 6/4/2008 12:27:09 AM

0 Boost

You HOPE AND PRAY it turns around, since it is the economy and Our economy is not good wright now, it is NOW more important to buy America AND BUY A AMERICAN PRODUCT, If we do not start now BUYYING AMERICAN in years to come we may not have a choice, since our economy will suffer to the point of no return.

I do not no about you, I am more concerned about American companys sales than the imports, BUY AMERICAN!!! since the American companys have a direct effect on our economy and that effects my lifestyle.

I also must say I love to see the sales lower with Toyota and Lexus since they are a forien company.

ym73 - 6/4/2008 3:30:23 AM

-1 Boost

You do realize that a lot of lexus and toyota cars are made in the US and employ US workers. GM on the other hand has factories in Canada and Mexico. So a lot of their cars are not US made. The only way to buy American is to find out where the car is manufactured, not by the badge.

800over - 6/4/2008 9:33:36 AM

+1 Boost

no lexus vehicles are built in the US. RX is made in Canada...all other Lexus models are built in Japan. Many Toyota vehicles are built in NA.

85bmw745i - 6/4/2008 10:40:46 PM

+1 Boost

So do I buy the American designed American built and only sold in America Nissan titan or a Mexican Dodge ram, or how about a chevy equinox with the engine made in china, how about the Chevy Aveo.....Wait that is a re-badged Daewoo, I know a pontiac vibe....Darn, it's a toyota matrix. Now a days More imports are designed and biult here and have more american parts and content that American brands, so define Buying American.

Star - 6/3/2008 6:11:31 PM

+1 Boost

Lexus...OUCH!

LexusKindaGuy12 - 6/3/2008 7:28:33 PM

+3 Boost

keep in mind 26K cars in a month is still a pretty big number, no matter how big a decline.

EvoAudi - 6/4/2008 12:11:58 AM

-1 Boost

WOOOHOO Lexus SUCKS!!

EvoAudi - 6/4/2008 12:12:38 AM

-1 Boost

I retract that comment.

DieselRules - 6/4/2008 3:00:11 AM

+1 Boost

Toyota rode the SUV wave big-time.
The wave is gone .. its just business as usual again.
They didn't do anything wrong, the economy just sucks now.

ChicaneShooter - 6/4/2008 3:07:54 AM

-1 Boost

LKG12: "...that last May in 2007 was a report of the best lexus overall sales, with over 30K vehicles sold. so that explains the huge drop of 20 percent."

on top of that, unlike with other brands, the core of toyota and lexus owners who are repeat buyers, have THE MOST FLEXIBILITY in their timing on when to buy.

they DO NOT get uneasy once the warranty expires. it matters NOTHING to them on whether they trade after 3, 4, 6, 8 or even 15 years. their cars remain reliable with virtually NO INCREASE in repair/maintenance needs.

while most other cars get to point of 100 problems per 100 cars at age 5, toyotas and lexi do not reach that level of mechanical/electrical failures until they are SEVENTEEN (17) years of age!

in a down economy, most people will defer new car purchases. with cars that few want to own once the warranty expires, the owners will tend to trade ANYWAY, TO AVOID expensive REPAIRS as the car ages.

with toyota and lexus owners, they feel ABSOLUTELY NO compulsion to get a new car for that reason. so it is only natural that in economic downturns, those dealers will see greater declines in sales.

Htay7500 - 6/4/2008 10:19:50 AM

-1 Boost

"they DO NOT get uneasy once the warranty expires. it matters NOTHING to them on whether they trade after 3, 4, 6, 8 or even 15 years. their cars remain reliable with virtually NO INCREASE in repair/maintenance needs."

do you think anyone would care how long they'll last? not everyone wants a toyota/lexus. there are lots of cars that still run like the day they were bought, and they aren't toyotas. stop your blabbing about how they don't need an excess of repairs. many cars need to be take care of alot once they age. toyota has their shares of problems and so does everyone else. they may last long, but they'll still be boring in the long run. you need to expand your mind a bit. not everything will be the best.


"in a down economy, most people will defer new car purchases. with cars that few want to own once the warranty expires, the owners will tend to trade ANYWAY, TO AVOID expensive REPAIRS as the car ages."

most people who own an expensive car has the money to repair and maintain the car.

ChicaneShooter - 6/6/2008 6:50:13 AM

0 Boost

"most people who own an expensive car has the money to repair and maintain the car."


it's not only a matter of money. it also takes TIME to take care of all the "unscheduled maintenance."

rich peoples' time tends to be more valuable and valued than others'.

it didn't matter much to me that all the excessive visits to the ford dealer didn't take money out of my pocket last time i bought a new ford. it was the TIME WASTED that i resented.

from a detnews.com article:

"Over the years, the Japanese vehicles established a strong reputation for reliability. "Police use these cars in eastern Russia," said Alexey Bocharov, sales director at the Laura Ozerki dealership in St. Petersburg.

""Ninety-five percent of the car park is previously used cars from Japan. People say they're unbreakable."

pchera01 - 6/4/2008 3:22:08 AM

+1 Boost

can't even read it

Agent009 - 6/4/2008 8:38:19 AM

-1 Boost

Actually that is a pretty mild headline. Look at GM and see what I mean

BigShow50 - 6/4/2008 9:02:50 AM

+1 Boost

The funny thing about Toyota's and Lexus' monthly reports, may show their decrese in sales. But it's based on comparison of previous years with "Great High Volumes SOLD!" Therefore they set the bar so high for themselves, that it does look somewhat bad in comparison to today's sales report, but at the end of the day they are still selling by a far margin compared to the rivals.

BMW4me4ever - 6/4/2008 4:03:08 PM

-1 Boost

a fair margin ... 900 cars above BMW for the month of May. Lexus this year is down over 12% .

kpaxx - 6/4/2008 10:48:48 AM

-1 Boost

Still doesn't look good for lexus since their two best sellers the ES and RX ain't doing so well anymore!

LexusKindaGuy12 - 6/4/2008 12:58:47 PM

+2 Boost

the RX is in its last year of production and is still selling more than 8K a month. thats pretty darn good to me. 6K for the ES aint bad either.