June 2008 Sales: Toyota - down 11.5% DSR

[igor]

FULL PR ONLINE

Toyota Reports June, Second-Quarter And First-Half Sales
07/01/2008

July 1, 2008 - Torrance, CA - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported half-year sales of 1,240,086 vehicles. For the month of June, TMS recorded sales of 193,234 units, a decrease of 11.5 percent from last June, on a daily selling rate basis.

The Toyota Division posted June sales of 172,981, down 10.3 percent from last June. The Lexus Division reported June sales of 20,253 units, a decrease of 21.1 percent from the year-ago month.

Toyota Division
Toyota Division passenger cars recorded June sales of 119,024 units, up 4.4 percent over the same period last year. Passenger car sales were led by Corolla, which posted best-ever June sales of 42,180 units, up 30 percent over June 2007. Camry and Camry Hybrid reported combined sales of 41,572 units in June, up 0.3 percent over the year-ago month. Camry Hybrid recorded June sales of 3,054 units. With limited availability, the Prius hybrid gas-electric mid-size sedan posted June sales of 11,765 units. Yaris recorded monthly sales of 8,472 units, up 4.1 percent over last June.

"As the pendulum swings towards smaller, higher-mileage vehicles, we're well-poised to offer the right products at the right time," said TMS President Jim Lentz. "A five-door liftback will soon join the Yaris line-up, widening the choice for value-conscious consumers in challenging economic times."

Toyota Division light trucks reported June sales of 53,957 units, down 31.5 percent from the year-ago month. Light truck sales were led by the Tacoma mid-size pickup with sales of 11,364 units. The Tundra full-size pickup recorded sales of 10,238 units for the month. Highlander and Highlander Hybrid posted combined monthly sales of 6,872 units. The Highlander Hybrid gas-electric mid-size SUV reported sales of 1,511 units for the month. Sequoia reported sales of 2,444 units in June, up 40.8 percent over the year-ago month.

Scion posted June sales of 11,870 units for the month. The xB urban utility vehicle led the way with June sales of 4,685 units, up 0.3 percent over the year-ago month. The tC sports coupe, in its fifth model year, reported June sales of 4,155 units. The xD posted best-ever June sales of 3,026 units for the month.

Lexus Division
Lexus passenger cars reported June sales of 12,942 units, a decrease of 16.6 percent from June 2007. Passenger car sales were led by the ES 350 luxury sedan, with June sales of 5,726 units. The IS entry luxury sport sedan reported combined sales of 4,324 units. The LS flagship luxury sedan posted combined sales of 1,525 units for the month. The GS luxury sport sedan recorded combined June sales of 1,213 units.

Lexus Division light trucks reported June sales of 7,311 units, down 27.9 percent versus the year-ago month. Lexus sales were led by the RX luxury utility vehicle, posting combined June sales of 5,820 units. The RX 400h hybrid luxury utility vehicle reported sales of 1,330 units for the month. The all-new LX 570 luxury utility vehicle posted monthly sales of 631 units, an increase of 230.2 percent over the same period last year.

TMS Hybrids
TMS first-half hybrid sales totaled 145,159 units. In June, TMS posted sales of 17,806 hybrid vehicles. Toyota Division posted sales of 16,330 hybrids for the month. Lexus Division posted sales of 1,476 hybrids in June.

There were 24 selling days this month, compared to 27 selling days last June.

[Buick61]

Originally Posted by igor

There were 24 selling days this month, compared to 27 selling days last June.

That's odd. At the bottom of their chart, it says they had 27 selling days in 2008 and 26 in 2007. hmmm.

[civilzues]

they sold 10K less Prius', thats just odd.
also with the adjusted numbers, the Camry was down 1.5%.

[Sinner]

So how did Toyota the benevolent manage to be down 11.5% adj to GM the can never get it right's 8%?

Year over year Toyota makes more cars, last year said they were #1 in production yet #2 in sales(extra cars ) then earlier this year said they were down due to a shortage in supply. How is this possible? Are they stockpiling cars to be the official car company of the apocalypse? Or are people starting to see them for what they really are; dowdy looking, average reliability(and falling) overpriced Walmart appliances?

Personally I think the pack has caught the leader and now there are better choices for the masses.

[Buick61]

Originally Posted by civilzues

they sold 10K less Prius', thats just odd.
also with the adjusted numbers, the Camry was down 1.5%.

And Honda's hybrid Civic sales are off, too.

[joemac]

Am I right in that the Corolla sold 52k units last month and only 42k units this month? Did the Camry follow the same fate as well from May to June?

[jkennedy293]

Originally Posted by civilzues

they sold 10K less Prius', thats just odd.
also with the adjusted numbers, the Camry was down 1.5%.

Two words. Battery Shortage.

[Whitesky]

Finally, some good news.

[FenwickHockey65]

Awesome news! Almost as good as GM regaining 2 points of market share!

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by Buick61

And Honda's hybrid Civic sales are off, too.

Batteries. The limiting factor now to significant swings is battery production, by all hybrid makers.

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by joemac

Am I right in that the Corolla sold 52k units last month and only 42k units this month? Did the Camry follow the same fate as well from May to June?

Seasonality. June is always the down month following the HUGE month of May. Same is true for all makers. Note that while the Corolla was down because of less days of selling it was still No 1 in the entire industry. The entire industry is down in June.

July is a bigger month then August is the biggest month, Sept down, Oct down, Nov down then up again in December, down BIG TIME in January and the cycle starts again.

May and August are the two biggest months of the year.

[Rocket 88]

Originally Posted by PhishPhood

Batteries. The limiting factor now to significant swings is battery production, by all hybrid makers.

Maybe but it doesn't seem like battery production would go down from last year. Market manipulation???

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by Rocket 88

Maybe but it doesn't seem like battery production would go down from last year. Market manipulation???

Actually hybrid sales in total for the first 6 months of the year are level vis-a-vis last year at Honda and Toyota and Ford...it's just that consumer demand has put them in short supply. The consumers bought more earlier this year thus making these last two months short of supply.

From CNN Money today...

The Prius, the nation's best-selling gas-electric hybrid, saw its sales fall by a third, due to tight supplies.

"This was a missed opportunity for Toyota this month," said Jesse Toprak, chief industry analyst for Edmunds. "We've heard a lot of reports from dealers they could have sold twice as many Priuses, if not more, if they had them in inventory."

But it wasn't just a problem for Toyota, said Toprak. None of the automakers had anticipated the sudden rise in gas prices or the sudden demand for fuel efficient vehicles.

"Even the most capable are not set up to respond to market place changes this quickly," he said. "It'll take from a few months to a few years to fully respond to the change in demand."

1st 6 months hybrid sales...
Honda.... 19200 HCH vs 19100 HCH + HAH last year
Toyota... 145,100 hybrids vs 146,500 hybrids last year
Ford...... doesn't report separately but I'd expect them to be flat as well

That last statement from Toprak is really important.

[Extreme4x4]

Ford sells about 25K Hybrid Escapes a year. They are limited by availability of certain parts.

Things will change significantly when the '10 Fusion and Milan Hybrid comes out at the beginning of next year.

[AMERICA 123]

Originally Posted by jkennedy293

Two words. Battery Shortage.

Some part of that is there - because 'retail' sales performances last year were so weak - in every sense possible - that planned production schedules were cut.

So 'OK' a battery 'shortage' - due to 'demand' - as in 'weak' - for the last ten years and seven months - but especially last year

Then there are the higher than expected costs - and subsidies - all of them - over that same period of time.

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Three words, a component, and a country : Rare earth 'materials' - magnets - China.

One concept : Hoarding, thru the Japanese Government provided strategic reserve for the new product coming later is now necessary.

All the rest is Spin to cover up what's really happening.

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Originally Posted by joemac

In rebuttal, the Corolla and Camry were down month to month May to June roughly 20%. A manufacturer with production constraints doesn't lose 20% volume from one month to the next.

Some have eluded to a fleet dump last month for Toyota on the Corolla and Camry as they set new all time sales records for a single month. A manufacturer doesn't set a record one month, then drop 20% next with production constraints. Nor does one fleet dump (alleged) vehicles if retail sales are in short supply.

YEP.

Here is just one aspect of their bigger than realized fail last month.

Btw, you can do this with all of Toyota's line up - many of the conventional powertrain choices are even worse .


US (TMS) hybrid sales for JUNE 2008

Model.....................Units...........vs. last month (MAY 2008)
Prius....................11,765.................-21.6%
Camry...................3,054..................-49.1%
Highlander..............1,511.................-42.9%
RX400h.................1,330.................-38.3%
LS600hL....................73..................-34.8%
GS450h.....................73..................-25.5%

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For comparison.

All hybrids.............24,917...............-30.1%

All vehicles...1,189,108.................-14.9%

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Also, there is a really neat graph in the upper right hand corner of the original linked article that charts Toyota versus the industry as a whole.

Maybe somebody can post it up - it knocks all the Toyota spin on this thread outta' da' park.

Here is the address.

http://cmsimg.detnews.com/apps/pbcsi...7090377&Ref=AR

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Come to think of it............ this matters as well ........ from the original linked article.

At a meeting last month in Salt Lake City, dealers pressed

Toyota's top U.S. managers to explain why the carmaker renowned for its responsiveness and flexibility couldn't provide them with more small cars.

"They're maxed out in production of Corolla and Camry cars in North America, and there's nothing more the U.S. staff can do," said

Rosario Criscuolo, a Michigan dealer with showrooms in Lansing and Ann Arbor who attended the meeting.


- "I don't think the management we have now at Toyota has ever seen anything of this sort."


- "Toyota is no longer considered immune from the market forces at work in the United States," said Aaron Bragman, an auto analyst at Global Insight.


- Toyota already had warned investors in May that its annual profits would fall for the first time in seven years because of weakening demand in

the United States, where analysts estimate it generates half its earnings.


- Toyota's difficulties reflect a combination of factors:

the ill-timed launch early last year of its Tundra full-size pickup,

and a decision to take more time to develop new vehicles to nip quality problems that were starting to hurt the automaker's reputation.

That led to delays in the rollout of a redesigned Prius hybrid and other models that dealers had expected to see this year.

"You're looking at a company at a difficult time and place in its history," said Maryann Keller, an auto analyst who heads her own consulting firm,

Maryann Keller & Associates in Stamford, Conn.

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Then there is this.

TOYOTA RETAIL SALES
(INCLUDES FLEET & HAWAII)
May, 2008

.......................----- CURRENT MONTH -- -- ------- CALENDAR YEAR TO DATE --
.................................................. ................DSR %.......................................... DSR %
..............................2008.......... 2007........... CHG...... ....2008........... 2007..........CHG

YARIS.................... .14,397...... .10,949......... 26.6........... .56,208..... ..37,367....... 48.1
COROLLA/MATRIX......52,826........45,238........ 12.4....... ....152,308... ..165,722....... -9.5
CAMRY/SOLARA.........51,291.... ...50,126........ -1.5.... .......198,309... ..193,900........ 0.7
AVALON.................... 4,269......... 6,435....... -36.1........ ....21,273.... ...31,861...... -34.3
PRIUS...... ...............15,011........24,009....... -39.8.............79,675.........76,747........ 2.2
SCION xA....................... 4......... .1,297..... ..-99.7................. 35............8,096..... -99.6
SCION xB...................5,351......... 3,658........ 40.9.............21,241..... ..13,331....... 56.9
SCION tC...................5,166........ .6,615....... -24.8...... ......19,575..... ..27,041...... -28.7
SCION xD... ...............4,337............... 0............ -..............13,153.............. -............ -

Worth noting, look how weak they were thru April2008 - even with fleet sales and incentives - and at 3.20$ plus/gallon gasoline costs.

COROLLA/MATRIX 32,435 32,289 -7.3 99,482 120,484 -18.2

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So, some industry 'judge the OEM' numbers.

http://www.greencarcongress.com/2008...v-sa.html#more

Total US LDV Sales Down 18.2% by Volume in June 2008; Down 10.1% For First Six Months <Unadjusted>


Light duty vehicle sales in the US dropped 18.2% by volume in June 2008 compared to June 2007, to a total of 1,185,435 units, according to data from Ward’s Auto. < Unadjusted >

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On an adjusted day sales rate (DSR) basis, the drop was 2.3%—June 2008 had three less selling days than June 2007.

For the first six months of the year, the decrease in sales by volume was 10.1% for all light duty vehicles compared to the same period in 2007.

Passenger car sales saw an 8% decrease by volume in June year-on year, with an increase of 3.5% on a DSR basis.

Light truck sales dropped 28.5% by volume in June year-on-year, with a decrease of 19.5% on a DSR basis.

For the first six months of 2008, car sales dropped 1.6% by volume, while truck sales have dropped 18%.

Sales of cars have exceeded trucks for four months running now, with cars taking 56% of the market in June 2008.

So, Toyota's June 2008 results are actually much worse and are much more significant than they initially appear.

Does anyone recall the last time Toyota performed below the industry averages ?

This maybe one of their all time worst performances since introducing Lexus - maybe further back than that.

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Some interesting segment data.


Segment totals, ranked by Jun unit sales

............Jun2008.....%ChgfromJun'07....YTD2008. ...%ChgfromYTD2007
Cars.......661,048...........-7.9.................3,845,544.............-1.5

Midsize...290,584..........-12.1.................1,773,582.............-2.8
Small......261,877.............6.8................ 1,393,509.............10.6
Luxury.....98,227...........-21.6...................606,617...........-14.9
Large.......10,360...........-37.2.....................71,836...........-32.7

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LD TR.....528,060...........-28.4................3,566,138............-17.9

Pickup.....148,223...........-37.1.................1,066,427...........-23.0
CUV........184,871...........-16.6.................1,196,360............-2.8
MinVan......77,707...........-15.7...................481,770...........-19.2
Mid SUV....58,656...........-39.2...................425,033............-26.3
Lrge SUV...31,402...........-29.3..................189,690............-31.4
Small SUV..13,965...........-53.5..................115,255............-33.6
Lux SUV....13,236...........-23.5....................91,603............-12.5



Total SUV/Cross-over
.............302,130..............-26.3.................2,017,94...........-14.6
Total SUV
.............117,259...............-37.7.................821,581...........-27.4
Total Cross-over
.............184,871...............-16.6..............1,196,360.............-2.8

From: http://online.wsj.com/mdc/public/pag...=topnav_2_3000

Source: www.motorintelligence.com