Toyota sales up as GM, Ford fall
02 Feb 2007
Japanese automaker Toyota once again outsold General Motors and Ford in monthly car sales for January 2007, closing the gap with Ford in the US market. It has already nudged Ford of its pedestal as the No.2 in global auto sales and is set to overtake it in the US as well by early 2007.
GM has already warned that its January sales figures will be down, again due to reduced sales to the rental-car industry.
Toyota''s year on year sales rose 9.5 per cent. The mid size Camry and Prius have turned out to be its major profit earners and the company said its results for January had never been as high, with car sales climbing 13.1 per cent while sales of trucks were 5 per cent higher. Ford that makes more fuel-hungry cars, has been hit by the Asian automakers who produce more energy-efficient smaller cars, expects to post a 20 per cent decline in US sales for the month of January 2007 compared to January 2006.