Toyota says may not achieve rise in Sept US sales

Wed Sep 26, 2007 2:31am EDT


TOKYO, Sept 26 (Reuters) - A top executive at Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Wednesday that achieving a rise in U.S. sales in September might be tough because of a spike in sales in the same month a year earlier.

"We had an especially strong month last September, with growth of around 25 percent, so it may be difficult for sales to rise," Executive Vice President Mitsuo Kino****a told a small group of reporters.

He repeated, however, that Toyota's U.S. sales would likely rise for the full calendar year despite a weaker overall market for cars. Earlier this month, he said the automaker was on track to grow 5 percent in the United States, its biggest market.

Toyota's adjusted U.S. sales fell in July for the first time in almost three years, mainly due to difficult comparisons from the year before. They fell again in August.

In Japan, President Katsuaki Watanabe said he expected Toyota's sales to grow in September from the previous year thanks to a raft of new product launches since June, including the Blade and Vanguard models.

The world's most profitable carmaker unveiled on Wednesday another new car, Mark X Zio, exclusively for the domestic market with a goal of selling an average 4,000 units a month during the life of the model. For the first three months, it aims to sell 20,000 units, Watanabe said at the launch in Tokyo.

Japanese carmakers are struggling to spark interest in new cars at home, where vehicle sales, excluding 660cc minivehicles, have fallen every month for more than two years.

Executives declined to say what impact they expected on Toyota from a broad labour strike against General Motors Corp (GM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) in the United States. Toyota's unionised 50-50 joint venture plant with GM in California has not been affected by the strike.

The United Auto Workers began a nationwide strike against GM on Monday for the first time in 37 years after a 10-week round of contract talks stalled.

The two-day-old strike has spilled across borders, threatening production in Mexico and shutting down Canadian plants, even as the two sides resumed bargaining in Detroit.

Toyota announces sale of Mark X ZiO

Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 16:52 EDT

TOKYO — Toyota Motor Corp on Wednesday launched its new model Mark X ZiO (stands for Zone in One) in Japan. The domestic automobile market has been stagnating in recent years and Toyota hopes to break through the stagnation by introducing a new type of a car, which combines the element of sedan, station wagon, and mini van, Toyota said.

"This car belongs in its own category with a totally new concept," Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe said at the launch. "It is luxurious like a sedan, a good match for an active lifestyle, and fits many passengers like a mini van."

The new interior concept includes a high-quality interior space using four independent seats that can accommodate four adults in comfort, and a flexible space in the rear that can be changed according to the vehicle's use.

The automaker aims to sell 4,000 units monthly and 20,000 units in the first three months. The price ranges from 2.56 million yen to 3.33 million yen.