Toyota Tundra sales up 7.8%

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Sales of the Toyota Tundra were up 7.8 percent in March, the first full month the redesigned pickup has been on the market. Toyota sold more than 13,000 Tundras last month, thanks in part to incentives on the new truck, which is built here and in Indiana. But the company will have to sell nearly 19,000 each month for the rest of the year if it's to hit its 2007 target of 200,000.
Alex Rosten, an analyst with Edmunds.com's Website AutoObserver.com, said Toyota's March increase isn't enough to reach its reported goal.
"Whether or not they're going to hit 200,000 units remains to be seen," Rosten said. "When is that increase going to come?"
Despite the year-over-year increase in Tundra sales, Toyota's total pickup sales were down 1 percent for the month from a year earlier.
But its overall sales were up 7.7 percent thanks to demand for fuel-efficient vehicles. Sales of the Prius hybrid were up 133 percent for the month.
"We hit a milestone that was eight years in the making," said Don Esmond, senior vice president of automotive operations for Toyota Motor Sales USA. "Toyota and Lexus have sold a half-million hybrids in the United States. The Prius has earned its place as the third-best-selling car behind the Camry and Corolla."


The news wasn't as good for the Detroit Three, which all saw sales drops during March, particularly in pickups. General Motors Corp.'s truck sales were down 11.3 percent, and its overall sales were down 7.7 percent. Ford Motor Co.'s truck sales were down 9.2 percent, while overall sales were down 12.2 percent. DaimlerChrysler's truck sales were down 9 percent and overall sales were down 8 percent.
Those drops weren't much of a surprise to analyst Rebecca Lindland of the forecasting firm Global Insight.
"I think all of them are starting to feel a certain level of pinch as consumers are moving away from traditional SUVs," Lindland said.
Automobiles were the best sellers for each manufacturer in March. For Chevrolet it was the Aveo, whose sales were up 47.6 percent. GM's auto-heavy Saturn brand saw its sales increase more than 44 percent.
Sales of Ford's Fusion gained 47.5 percent, while Mercury Milan sedan sales were up 44.6 percent. The new Edge crossover, which combines SUV-like room with a car-based vehicle, sold nearly 11,000 units.
"They're looking good," Rosten said of Ford. "You have to remember, Taurus sales last year were 20,000 and now they're zero. Their inventory numbers are down, and they're continuing to pull back their rental fleet sales."
Jeep was relatively strong for the Chrysler group, with its sales remaining flat when adjusted for the extra selling day this March compared to March 2006. Sales of the Jeep Wrangler gained 58 percent. On the car side, sales of the Dodge Caliber crossover were up 27 percent and the Dodge Charger gained 36 percent.
Honda had another strong month, with sales up 7.3 percent. Accord sales gained more than 20 percent. The company also sold more than 4,000 of its compact Fit.
Nissan also reported a strong month, with sales up 3.9 percent in March thanks to an 11.6 percent gain for the Altima and a 59.6 percent sales increase for the Infiniti G Series.

MySA.com: Business

[radicalwillie]

I can't believe such a big deal is being made by Toyota that they haven't sold more trucks. I think the main reason that their sales have been flat is the fact that the dealers don't have an adequate stock of all models. The Crewmax wasn't even available, except by special order, till the last half of the month. When most people are going drop that kind of money on a truck, they want to be able to see it in all of the available paint schemes and option packages so they can really figure out what is going to be best for them. When I bought my truck, I had a choice between a 4.7 limited, a 4.7 SR5 or a 5.7 SR5. A whopping three trucks to choose from on the entire lot. It just so happened that the 5.7 SR5 was the exact color and option level that I wanted. But most people want more selection before making that 35 -45 thousand dollar descision. Just my two cents.

[TWoodHD]

I agree Toyota would be able ot sell more if they had more out there to sell. I went to 2 dealers and call others before I was able ot get my truck, even then they had to call around to other dealers and do an inventory swap to get it to me. Doesn't mater gotthe truck I wanted, so I was happy. I took me a while to do it though.

[tundraguy]

I agree with you guys, when you are chunking down 35-45 thousand dollars you like to have some options on the lot to look at. Most of the dealers around my area only have a couple to choose from at any given time.