Toyota’s January Sales Sizzle

Toyota reports its U.S. sales got off to a quick start in 2015, as the Japanese automaker saw demand for its vehicles rise 11.2% on a daily basis and it joined other major industry players posting strong results.

Toyota delivered 169,194 cars, trucks and CUVs in January, compared with 146,365 in like-2014, according to WardsAuto data. There was an extra selling day last month to add fuel to the results, and like its competitors Toyota enjoyed a favorable year-over-year comparison because last year severe weather pinched sales.

But on its own, January was a big month for the industry with a light-vehicle seasonally adjusted annual rate approaching 16.6 million units. It marked the best industry start since 2006 and signals consumers are ready to buy ahead of the important spring selling season.

“2015 is off to an excellent start,” says Bill Fay, vice president and general manager-Toyota Div. “Looking ahead, the encouraging January results, on top of positive economic news including a 7-year high in consumer confidence, bodes well for the months ahead.”

Highlights for Toyota included a best-ever month for the Corolla compact car, up 15.6% to 27,357 units. The Camry midsize sedan, which continues to build inventories of the redesigned ’15 model, witnessed sales rise 10.3% to 26,763.

The industry continues to report throughout the day, but it appears the Corolla and Camry locked up the No.1 and No. 2 spots as the industry’s best-selling cars in the month.

The RAV4 and Highlander CUVs performed well, too, combining to set a January record of 30,584 deliveries. RAV4 sales increased 12.9% to 19,824, while Highlander demand was flat but still accounted for more than 11,000 copies.

“The compact (CUV) segment remains red-hot,” Fay tells journalists during a conference call to discuss the results.

Sales of the Tacoma midsize pickup, which faces newly launched competition from a pair of redesigned General Motors models, grew 11.5% to 11,409. Toyota plans to increase production of the Tacoma to keep stocks healthy ahead of the launch later this year of a redesigned model.

Toyota Div. sales overall rose 9.8% to 142,373.

Sales at the automaker’s Lexus luxury brand shot up 26.1% to 23,131 for its best-ever January performance. The RX 350 5-passenger CUV led all gainers, up 17% to 6,048. The all-new ’15 Lexus NX CUV drew 2,812 buyers, which was 30% beyond expectations.

“NX is quickly bringing new and younger utility buyers to our brand,” says Jeff Bracken, vice president and general manager-Lexus Div.

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