Toyota to Export Sienna to South Korea

Toyota this month will begin exporting its Sienna minivan from its Princeton, IN, plant to distributors in South Korea, marking the first time it has exported any North American-built vehicle to the Asian country.

“We hope to continue boosting exports from our North American operations in the near future,” New York-based Toyota spokesman Javier Moreno tells WardsAuto.

The Sienna exports to South Korea also marks the first time the U.S.-built minivan will be shipped outside its main markets of Canada, the U.S. or Mexico.

Toyota already exports a variety of North American-built models to 18 other countries, including the Georgetown, KY-assembled Avalon sedan and the San Antonio, TX-built Tundra pickup truck.

Last year, the auto maker says it exported 100,000 vehicles to markets outside North America, up 30% from 2009.

Toyota is a minor player in the South Korean market, despite being the best-selling Japanese brand there.

Its South Korean car sales through September fell 6.9% to 6,775, due to an 18.4% decline in Lexus deliveries. However, Toyota-brand car sales rose 14.2%.

In comparison, Hyundai sold 317,515 cars through September, up 16.1%, and 145,043 light trucks in its home market, a segment in which Toyota does not participate.

WardsAuto data shows Toyota built 90,897 Siennas in Princeton through September, down 7.1% from year-ago.

Toyota’s minivan exported for first time outside North America.