Toyota expects to outpace auto industry’s sales in 2011
By Steph, 14 Jan, 2011. 0 Comments
2012 Toyota Prius V
Toyota’s new vehicle sales are expected to outpace the auto industry in 2011, according to Jim Lentz, the president of auto marketing company Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. The recall crisis had put a damper on the carmaker’s rising sales for two decades. Lentz predicts that in 2011, 12.5 million light vehicles will be sold. He forecast that the first half will be slow but that in the second half, sales will surge. At the 2011 Automotive News World Congress, Lentz said that new-vehicle sales will be boosted by new products such as the Prius V wagon and the redesigned Camry.
Lentz said that Toyota will expand its alternative-fuels lineup with 11 new or redesigned hybrids by the end of 2012, including electric versions of the Scion iQ and RAV4. Lentz added that its “conquest owners” are coming back but that they’re not the same as what they were before the recall.
He revealed that due to the recall crisis, Toyota sales were flat in 2010, compared to the overall industry increase of 11%. Nevertheless, the Toyota brand remained the No. 1 marque in retail sales, even if it got “a little smaller last year.” [via autonews - sub. required]
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