Toyota, GM lead advance in auto sales
DETROIT - Toyota Motor Corp.'s U.S. vehicle sales jumped 14.1 percent in May to their highest monthly level ever, and General Motors Corp.'s sales rose 9.7 percent, helping boost industry sales 5 percent.
DETROIT - Toyota Motor Corp.'s U.S. vehicle sales jumped 14.1 percent in May to their highest monthly level ever, and General Motors Corp.'s sales rose 9.7 percent, helping boost industry sales 5 percent.
In the industrywide figures released yesterday, Toyota and GM credited the appeal of their fuel-efficient offerings amid high gas prices.
For the second month this year, Toyota outsold Ford Motor Co., whose sales fell 6.9 percent from April as it continued to cut low-profit sales to rental companies.
Nissan Motor Co.'s sales gained 7.4 percent, DaimlerChrysler AG's sales rose 3.9 percent and American Honda Motor Co. rose 2.5 percent.
GM, the industry's top seller, said it sold 371,056 light vehicles last month. Car sales, including the Chevrolet Impala and Saturn Aura, rose 16.2 percent to 150,979, and light-truck sales, including the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra, gained 5.6 percent to 220,077. GM's sales include the European Saab brand.
"Our significant market-share gains in full-size trucks and crossovers validates the decision we made to invest in industry-leading fuel economy in these important segments," said Mark LaNeve, GM's vice president of North American sales, service and marketing.
Toyota, which has been gaining share in the United States, sold 269,023 Toyota and Lexus vehicles in May, topping its monthly record of 242,675, set in March. Car sales rose 16.2 percent to 168,270, and light-truck sales, including the Tundra, rose 10.9 percent to 100,753.
"Despite the industry's shift toward passenger cars, Toyota's all-new Tundra hit an all-time high in May," Jim Lentz, executive vice president of Toyota's U.S. division, said in a statement. "As for hybrids, the market's appetite continues unabated, with Prius also establishing an all-time record."
Industrywide U.S. sales in May rose to 1.56 million from 1.49 million in May 2006, according to Autodata Corp.
Car sales rose 6.1 percent to 776,277, and sales of light trucks, which include pickup trucks, vans and SUVs and generally offer poorer fuel economy than cars rose 3.9 percent to 787,664.
Toyota sales surpassed Ford's in two months last year and in January of this year. Analysts predict that Toyota likely will knock Ford out of its traditional No. 2 spot for the full year in 2007, but Ford has said it is focused more on returning to profitability in North America.
Ford said its sales to retail customers, 3 percent lower than a year ago, still marked its best retail month of the year as the Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX crossovers continued to make gains.
DaimlerChrysler sold 221,164 vehicles in the United States last month. Chrysler Group's passenger-vehicle sales, which include the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands, rose 4.3 percent to 199,393 with help from a 20 percent jump in its Jeep brand, while Mercedes sales rose 0.7 percent to 21,771. Dodge sales were up about 3 percent.
