March Car Sales Increase 11% For Toyota, Lexus

Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. reported its best March sales since 2008 with an 11.2 percent increase led by demand for the Camry and Camry hybrid models.

Toyota U.S.A. sold 203,282 vehicles in the country last month, an adjusted increase of 11.2 percent. First-quarter U.S. sales were up 9.4 percent to 487,284 vehicles.

The Toyota division increased its sales by 13.5 percent, but Lexus sales dropped 6.1 percent.

Toyota dealers had their best-selling month outside of Cash for Clunkers since the pre-recession days of August 2008. Camry and Prius also continue to shine as both set records, including Camry's best March ever and an all-time high for Prius sales, Jeff Bracken, vice president of Toyota division sales, said.

The Toyota division enjoyed a 19.5 percent increase in passenger car sales, which reached 113,135 vehicles. Sales of the Camry and Camry hybrid rose 30.5 percent year-over-year for their best-ever March sales and led the pack in passenger car sales for Toyota. Similarly, Prius family sales advanced 48.8 percent to 28,711, a record-breaking March for the model. Toyota also sold 3,327 Avalon units, a 20.8 percent rise.

The Toyota Corolla, however, performed weakly compared to its cousins, and sales dropped 9.8 percent in March, compared with the previous year. It's sales are down 13.1 percent for the quarter.

Light trucks also did well for Toyota, and sales increased 5.1 percent. The RAV4 led the pack as its sales rose 4.1 percent, accounting for 24.8 percent of Toyota's 70,007 light trucks sold. The Highlander Hybrid saw an 8.4 percent increase in sales, while the Tacoma and Tundra posted 19.3 percent and 10.3 percent gains, respectively.

The 4Runner and Sienna minivan both lost ground as sales dropped 10.3 percent and 5.5 percent respectively.

In the luxury Lexus division, passenger car sales climbed 5.4 percent and SUV sales plummeted 17.9 percent for combined sales of 20,140. The Lexus GS and GS Hybrid increased sales 472.3 percent, but the IS series fell 11.4 percent while the LS series dropped 41.3 percent.

TMS Hybrids increased sales 49 percent to 38,215. The TMS Hybrid Toyota division saw sales up 60.7 percent.