By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-09-29 07:11:51 | Updated at 2026-09-29 07:47:50
37 minutes ago
Toyota Motor said on Sept 29 its global sales fell 6.4% from a year earlier to 790,743 units in August, marking the second straight month of decline, due to weak demand in China amid rising petrol prices stemming from the Middle East conflict.
Global production dropped 5.9% from the previous year to 700,860 vehicles in the reporting month, also down for a second straight month, as some countries had fewer operating days, according to the world’s largest automaker by volume.
Toyota’s overseas sales slid 8.4% from a year earlier to 685,676 cars, marking the seventh consecutive monthly drop, with sales in China sinking 22.8% to 118,449 units, as the petrol vehicle market, including petrol-powered and hybrid cars, remained sluggish, the automaker said.
Sales in the United States stood at 215,556 cars, down 4.4%, while Europe saw a 2.6% growth in sales to 78,527 vehicles.
Sales in Japan, however, jumped 9.1% to 105,067 units, marking the fifth straight monthly increase, largely helped by strong sales of new models, including the RAV4 sport utility vehicle, the bZ4X electric vehicle and the Land Cruiser FJ.
The Middle East saw a 37.5% plunge in sales to 32,600 vehicles, but Toyota’s exports from Japan to the region grew 31.0% to 24,411 cars, up for the second straight month, as the impact of the escalating tensions appears to have eased.
Overseas production, meanwhile, slipped 7.6% to 496,373 vehicles, down for the fourth straight month, with output in China falling 11.3% to 111,154 cars.
Domestic output dropped 1.7% to 204,487 units, marking the first decline in four months, the company said, citing production disruptions caused by the 7.1-magnitude quake that hit Kumamoto Prefecture in southwestern Japan in July and typhoons. KYODO NEWS
