Toyota U.S. Sales In December Up 12.7%

(RTTNews) - Toyota Motor Corp (TM) said Tuesday its U.S. vehicle sales in December climbed 12.7 percent from a year ago, led mainly by demand for Corolla as well as SUVs such as Highlander and 4Runner.

The month was also salubrious for U.S. automakers, with General Motors (GM) and FCA US LLC reporting double-digit growth in vehicle sales, while Ford Motor's (F) sales inched up.

A rejuvenated economy and increased consumer confidence, coupled with a steep drop in gas price and lower interest rates have had a beneficial impact on vehicle sales in the U.S.

Toyota said its December 2014 U.S. vehicle sales rose 12.7 percent to 215,057 units from 190,843 units a year ago.

There were 26 selling days in December compared with 25 days a year ago.

The Japanese automaker said December sales at Toyota Division climbed 12.2 percent to 175,178 units, and sales at Lexus division was up 14.7 percent to 39,879 units.

"The industry finished last year on a high note thanks to a strong economic tailwind," said Bill Fay, Toyota Division Group Vice President and General Manager. "That momentum should continue in 2015 and combined with continued strong replacement demand, boost sales further."

Car sales at Toyota division in December rose 11 percent from last year to 88,080 units. Corolla sales jumped 33.5 percent and Camry sales rose 5.5 percent, while Prius sales slid 8.3 percent.

Car sales at Lexus division in December gained 5.5 percent to 20,137 units, mainly due to sales of its RC compact executive coupe.

Truck sales at Toyota division in December rose 13.6 percent to 87,098 units.

Among brands, sales of Highlander gained 21.7 percent, 4Runner jumped 59.7 percent, Sienna rose 24.6 percent and Tacoma gained about 12 percent.

Lexus division truck sales in December climbed 26 percent to 19,742 units.

For the year 2014, Toyota reported U.S. sales of 2.37 million vehicles, a 6.2 percent increase from a year ago.

Meanwhile, GM, the largest U.S. automaker, said its December U.S. vehicle sales rose 19.3 percent from a year ago to 274,483 units, making it the best December U.S. sales in seven years for the automaker.

According to GM, industry-wide light vehicle sales for the year were an estimated 16.6 million, above the upper end of the 16.0 million - 16.5 million range estimated at the advent of the year.

Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford sold 220,671 vehicles in the U.S. during December, up 1.2 percent from last year.

FCA US LLC, which changed its name from Chrysler Group LLC in mid-December, said its U.S. vehicle sales for December rose 20 percent to 193,261 units.