Toyota Light Trucks Set May Sales Record
Toyota’s vehicle sales in North America were as could have been predicted: sedans were down, SUVs and trucks were up, and sales were down overall now that the industry is finally slowing following a streak of record-breaking years.
Overall, the best-selling Japanese manufacturer sold 215,321 vehicles in May, with the Toyota division account for 189,930 of these and Lexus for the rest. This marked a slight 1.3 percent decrease over May 2017 on a volume basis.
As mentioned and as has been the case for the last few years, Toyota SUVs and pickup trucks were up: the new C-HR was up 136 percent, the Highlander up 17.6 percent, the Land Cruiser up 3.5 percent, and the Tacoma up 21.1 percent.
Related: Why the Toyota Highlander could be the ultimate family car
With 21,312 units sold, it marked the best-ever May for the Highlander, mirroring the performance of the overall category. With 115,543 units sold, it was also the best-ever May for the Toyota light truck division, which was up 11 percent overall compared to last year.
The ever-popular RAV4 continued to be the best-selling vehicle in Toyota’s lineup, coming just shy of its previous May performance with over 38,000 units sold. The Camry was again the best-selling sedan and was just 35 units away from reaching the 30,000 mark.
With gas prices now on the rise, it may be that sedans will take back their place as the best-selling vehicles in the industry. That being said, some automakers—such as Toyota—have managed to make their crossovers so efficient that it’s possible they’ll stay in style long after gas costs more than $4 a gallon once again.
Related: How does the Toyota Camry fare against the Nissan Altima?
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