August Auto Sales: Toyota sales fall

TORRANCE, Calif.—Toyota Motor Sales USA Inc. said Wednesday its August U.S. sales dropped on a double-digit decline in demand for trucks and sport utility vehicles.

Toyota sold a total of 211,533 vehicles, down 9.4 percent from 233,471 in the same month last year.

Sales of trucks and SUVs tumbled 16.4 percent to 81,911 units from 97,964 in the same month last year.

Sales of Toyota division SUVs dropped 24.8 percent to 30,422 units, including a 18.9 percent decrease in RAV4 sales to 12,911 and a 15.2 percent drop in Highlander demand to 8,070.

Sales of Tacoma pickup trucks fell 17.8 percent to 12,407.

Car sales fell 4.3 percent to 129,622 from 135,507. Sales of the Yaris jumped 20.5 percent to 9,474 vehicles, but Corolla sales fell 3.4 percent to 29,443. Sales of the Prius hybrid fell 4.2 percent to 13,463, which the company attributed to limited availability.

Sales at the automaker's luxury Lexus division dropped 9.1 percent to 29,281 units from 21,199.

So far this year, Toyota sales are down 8.3 percent to about 1.6 million units from 1.8 million in the first eight months of 2007.

Toyota's U.S. shares rose 88 cents to $89.71 in afternoon trading.