Recalls dip into Toyota sales in U.S.
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Toyota's U.S. sales fell 16 percent in January compared to the same period in 2009 as the Japanese automaker grappled with a major safety scandal that helped to drive consumers into competitors' showrooms, U.S. media reported Tuesday.
Toyota's monthly sales fell 16% from a year ago, dropping to less than 100,000 for the first time since 1999. Amid the fallout, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co. reported gains in market share and sales increases of 24% and 15% respectively, largely attributed to increased fleet sales. Chrysler LLC sales declined 8%.
In the past four months, Toyota has recalled close to 9 million vehicles worldwide to fix defects that could lead to unintended acceleration.
In the U.S. market, the Japanese automaker sold 98,796 vehicles last month, according to Detnews.
The recalls were a boon for General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., which are offering incentives to try to lure Toyota customers.
Ford's sales were up 24 percent to 116,534 in January. The Dearborn automaker ended 2009 with its first full-year gain in market share since 1995.
GM saw its sales increase 15 percent. For the month, GM dealers reported 146,825 total sales, compared to 129,227 during the same period last year.
The only domestic automaker to see sales fall in U.S. last month was Chrysler Group LLC, whose sales sank 8 percent compared to the same period in 2009. Chrysler sold 57,143 vehicles in January. Other automakers also reported their sales figures Tuesday. Nissan Motor Co.'s sales rose 16 percent. Honda Motor Co. sales fell 5 percent. Kia said its January U.S. sales were essentially flat.
January is typically a weak month for U.S. auto sales, but automakers were expecting improvements over last January, when they dipped to a 26-year low because of the tough economy. Sales never really recovered last year, totaling 10.4 million cars and light trucks, the lowest since 1982.
Toyota announced Monday it was moving aggressively to fix its 2.3 million vehicles in the United States for sticky pedals, and said some dealerships would work around the clock.
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