Fueled by the "Cash for Clunkers" incentive program, Toyota posted an 11% gain in U.S. sales, the automaker said on Sept. 1.
The company also posted an all-time best-ever month for passenger cars in its Toyota Division as consumers looking to buy the fuel-efficient vehicles that qualified under the program pushed those sales up 32% to 142,529 vehicles.
Overall demand rose sharply in July and August as a result of a government-funded trade-in program that sparked nearly 700,000 auto sales before it expired last week.
"In addition to increased sales, the CARS program provided tangible benefits to consumers, dealers and industry-related businesses, as well as state and local economies, in the form of sales tax and registration income," said Jim Lentz, president and chief operating officer for Toyota Motor Sales USA.
"Toyota vehicles accounted for 19.4% of sales within the CARS program, but we estimate CARS-related Toyota sales account for 32.1% of total fuel savings for the CARS program, saving customers an estimated 31 million gallons of gas and over $77.5 million in fuel spending over the next year."
Toyota's U.S. sales for the year to date were down 28% to 1.2 million vehicles even as August's sales rose to 225,088.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2009
