Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. sold 1.4 percent more light vehicles in October, thanks to surging deliveries of the Tacoma pickup and Highlander crossover.
The Toyota brand had its best October in the U.S. for light-truck sales, which rose 8.3 percent, reflecting record October volume for the Highlander crossover and 4Runner SUV. Sales of Toyota-brand cars dropped 8.6 percent.
Lexus' RX crossover — the luxury brand's best-seller — also recorded its best-ever October, with a 2.8 percent uptick that limited the line's decrease.
Brands: Toyota up 1.7%; Lexus down 0.8%
Notable nameplates: Toyota Camry up 2.5%, Toyota Corolla down 14%, Toyota RAV4 down 0.2%, Toyota Highlander up 18%, Toyota Tacoma up 30%, Lexus NX down 7.9%, Lexus RX up 2.8%, Lexus LS up 155%, Lexus ES up 35%
Incentives: $2,438 per vehicle, down 3.3% from a year earlier, ALG says
Average transaction price: $32,349, up 0.8% from a year earlier, according to ALG
Quote: "Car sales are going to hurt everybody" for the foreseeable future, said Charlie Chesbrough, chief economist at Cox Automotive.
Did you know? Almost 99% of Camrys sold last month were made in Kentucky, up from 75% a year earlier.
You can reach David Muller at dmuller@crain.com