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Toyota Aside, Sales of Autos Were Up In Jan.

Posted on February 3, 2010
Filed Under Business, Economy, Industry | 4 Comments

The US auto industry rebounded from last January’s sales collapse with one big exception: Toyota, which lost an estimated 20,000 sales after it stopped selling eight models because of defective gas pedals.

Last month, US sales of cars and light trucks to consumers rose 6 percent from a year earlier, thanks to increases in fleet sales and strong demand for newly redesigned vehicles, such as the Hyundai Tucson SUV and Buick LaCrosse sedan. Big winners included General Motors Co., Ford Motor Co., Nissan Motor Co., and Hyundai Motor Co., which all posted double-digit sales increases.

But Toyota’s sales slipped 16 percent, and they could fall further as its sales stoppage drags into February. It was the first time since February 1998 that Toyota’s monthly US sales fell below 100,000 vehicles, according to Ward’s AutoInfoBank.

Toyota’s troubles helped to knock the Camry off its traditional perch as the top-selling car in the United States. Last month, the Camry ranked fifth in car sales, passed by Honda’s Accord, Nissan’s Altima, Toyota’s Corolla, and the Chevrolet Malibu. The Camry has been the top-selling car in the United States for the last eight years.

Toyota announced a recall of eight models, including the Camry, on Jan. 21 and halted sales of those models five days later because the accelerator pedals could stick and cause a crash The recall has affected a total of 2.3 million vehicles in the United States. Besides the Camry, the other models in the recall include Corolla and Avalon cars, the Matrix hatchback, the Tundra pickup, the Sequoia SUV, and the RAV4 and Highlander.

Bob Carter, a Toyota group vice president, said the suspended models amount to 60 percent of Toyota dealers’ inventory. All eight saw sales declines. In December, most of them saw increases. The hybrid Prius, which was not affected by the recall, posted a 13 percent gain.

January is typically a weak month for US auto sales, but automakers expected sales to improve over last January, when they declined to a 26-year low because of the tough economy.

Sales to fleets – rental companies as well as corporate and government sales – boosted numbers last month. GM’s fleet sales surged 225 percent, while Ford’s jumped 154 percent.

Ford’s overall sales rose 25 percent, though its nonfleet sales fell 5 percent. Hyundai’s sales rose 24 percent for the month. GM said its sales increased 14 percent, including a 3 percent rise in nonfleet sales, while Nissan’s rose 16 percent.

Chrysler fell 8 percent, while Kia said its January US sales were flat. Honda Motor Co. sales slipped 5 percent. Honda sells few vehicles to fleets.By Dee-Ann Durbin and Dan Strumpf, The Boston Globe

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