Toyota Slumps in September, Falls to Fourth Place - Ward's Auto (subscription)
Toyota’s strong performance in August, when sales rose 10. 2%, pulled ahead some September purchases. Fleet sales made up just 4% of total Toyota Div. sales, says Bill Fay, Toyota Div. Sales of both the hybrid and conventional Camry fell last month, 38. 0% and 11. 8%, as Toyota sold down the ’14 model and launched the ’15 Camry. Fay says Camry retail sales climbed 15% in September and that only a small sliver, roughly 1,000, were sold to fleets. Toyota’s second-best-selling car, the C-segment Corolla, also stumbled, down 14. 9% vs. September 2013, when the current generation was launching. Prius sales continued to underwhelm, which Fay blames on Toyota selling out of the ’14 liftback variant in August, low fuel prices and the advanced age of the lineup. Prius liftback and V wagon sales were down 10. 2% last month, bringing their 9-month volume down 16. 2%. Prius C sales slipped 6. 8% and that car is off 4. 7% calendar-year-to-date. Toyota will be refreshing the V and C Priuses next year, Fay says. An all-new generation of the liftback also is expected in 2015. Toyota’s light trucks fared better than the brand’s passenger cars. Source: wardsauto.com
