Toyota reports best ever sales on hybrids in 2005

With the Prius sales up 100.5% over 2004 sales, Toyota posted record sales on hybrid vehicles in 2005. Toyota claimed 107,897 hybrid Prius were sold in the US in 2005. The 2006 Highlander Hybrid, a mid-size SUV sold 17,989 units and the 2006 RX 400h luxury hybrid SUV had year-end sales of 20,674 units. Overall, a good year for hybrids.

Press Release follows:

Toyota Reports 2005 and December Sales

January 4, 2006 - Torrance, CA - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported total year-end sales of 2,260,296 vehicles, up 10.1 percent over 2004. With ten consecutive years of record-breaking sales, this marks the second time in TMS' 48-year history it has reached sales of over two million vehicles.



"Finally shaking off its Autumn chill, the industry enjoyed a bit of holiday cheer as buyers returned to showrooms," said Jim Press, TMS President and COO. "Solid calendar-year results vouch for the industry's fundamental health and bode well for the coming year."



Camry became the best-selling car in America for the fourth year in a row and eighth time in the past nine years. Lexus retained its crown as the best-selling luxury brand in America for the sixth consecutive year, selling a total of 302,895 units in 2005. With overall sales of 156,485 units, Scion was a significant contributor to the record sales year.



Total TMS sales for December were a best-ever of 203,279, an increase of 8.2 percent over the same period last year.



Toyota Division

The Toyota Division recorded best-ever year-end total sales of 1,957,401 vehicles, up 10.8 percent.
The Toyota Division recorded best-ever year-end passenger car sales of 1,138,130 units, an increase of 18.3 percent, and December sales of 88,887, up 8.1 percent. Camry posted year-end sales of 431,703, an increase of 1.4 percent. Corolla posted year-end sales of 341,290 units, an increase of 2.8 percent.
The Prius gas-electric hybrid posted best-ever December sales of 9,027 units, an increase of 43.6 percent over the same period last year. Year-end Prius sales reached 107,897 units, up 100.5 percent over 2004.



Scion reported best-ever December sales with 12,457 units sold. The Scion xB urban utility vehicle recorded a best-ever December with 4,341 units, up 13.4 percent, with year-end sales totaling 54,037, an increase of 15.3 percent over 2004. The tC sports coupe had a best-ever December of 5,724 units sold, with year-end sales reaching 74,415 units, an increase of 166.0 percent over 2004. The xA subcompact posted a best-ever December with 2,392 units sold, an increase of 19.6 percent; xA year-end sales reached 28,033 units, up 16.3 percent from last year.



The Toyota Division recorded all-time best-ever year-end light-truck sales with 819,271 units, an increase of 1.8 percent. Toyota Division light trucks also posted all-time best-ever December sales of 79,206, up 8.1 percent over the same period last year. The Highlander Hybrid gas-electric mid-size SUV, which launched in early June, reported sales of 2,198 units in December and year-end sales of 17,989 units. The Highlander and Highlander Hybrid posted combined December sales of 11,309 units.



Contributing to the light-truck sales record was the Tundra full-size pickup truck with all-time best-ever December sales of 15,632 units, up 33.4 percent. Year-end Tundra sales were 126,529 units, up 12.9 percent over last year.



Lexus Division

With record-breaking 2005 annual sales, Lexus retains its title as America's top-selling luxury brand for the sixth consecutive year. The automaker today reported total year-end sales of 302,895 units, up 5.5 percent over last year's record-breaking sales. Lexus also scored an all-time, best-ever month with 35,186 units sold.
Lexus luxury utility vehicles enjoyed a strong sales year, at 151,669 units. The 2006 RX 400h luxury hybrid SUV reported December sales of 2,172 units and year-end sales of 20,674 units. The RX 330 and RX 400h posted combined year-end sales of 108,775 units. The GX 470 mid-size luxury utility vehicle recorded an all-time best-ever sales month of 4,599 units, a 4.4-percent increase over last year.



Sales of Lexus passenger cars also achieved year-end all-time record breaking results with 151,226 units, an increase of 11.5 percent. The best-ever year-end combined sales of the GS 300 and GS 430, mid-luxury sports sedans, totaled 33,457 units sold.



December passenger car sales also achieved best-ever results of 17,866 units, an increase of 25 percent over the same period last year. For the month, the GS 300 sedan led the way with 2,973 units, an all-time, best-ever sales month, and a 305-percent increase over the same period last year. The GS 430 reported sales of 458 units, a 349-percent increase over last December and the IS 300/IS 350 reported combined all-time best-ever December sales of 4,518 units, a 573.3-percent increase over last year's December. The IS 250 reported sales of 2,877, and the IS 350 had sales of 1,631 units.


Total TMS sales of North American-built vehicles totaled 1,393,100 units, representing 61.6 percent of the total vehicles sold in 2005. There were 307 selling days in 2005, as compared to 308 in 2004.