Mighty Toyota drops 34%, Ford falls 30%

Toyota’s US sales fell an amazing 34% in November 2008, compared with November 2007. Both Lexus and Toyota divisions had similar drops; Toyota branded trucks fell 37%, while Lexus branded trucks fell just 27%. The Camry, America’s best-selling car, fell 29%, giving it a year-to-date loss of 6%, while the long-wheelbase, luxury Camry, the Avalon, dropped 62%. Even the Prius fell, by 48%. Least hard-hit among Toyota brand vehicles were the most affordable models: Corolla (new for 2009 and down 13%) and Yaris (down 17%). 

The Toyota Tundra, which was to have decimated the American automakers, plummeted by 56%, with just 6,607 sold for the month despite the availability of 0% financing. Least affected among trucks was the Tacoma 4×4, down just 16%. The Sequoia posted a surprise 52% gain but sold fewer than 2,000 units. 

Of Corollas, the domestics were hit harder than the imports, with domestic Corolla sales falling 35%; but domestic Camrys were not hit as hard as imported Camrys. 

For November 2008, 55% of Toyotas sold in the United States were assembled in the United States, similar to last November (56%). 

At Ford, Ford-brand sales fell 30%, Mercury 41%, Volvo 47%, and fleet-dominated Lincoln just 8%. For the year, Ford’s sales are down 20%; and the company announced it was looking for buyers for Volvo.