Toyota Dec. US Sales Falls 1.7% - Update

(RTTNews) - Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corp. (TM), said Friday US sales in December fell 1.7 percent as demand eroded for cars such as Prius hybrids, Corolla and Camry, while its truck division saw some momentum.

But Toyota wasn't alone as major US automakers posted weak sales in December, with discounts and late pickup in the shopping season partly acting as dampeners.

Nonetheless, overall, 2013 has been a stellar year for automakers, with the best performance in about six years. The auto sector has surpassed the growth in the US economy as better employment levels, low interest rates, a housing boom, and consumer optimism acted as props.

That contrasts sharply with Europe, which is struggling to get its act together on the economic front and has been a bane for automakers.

Toyota reported U.S. sales of 190,843 units in December, down 1.7 percent from 194,143 units a year ago. The month had 25 selling days, compared with 26 days last year.

""The auto industry was a consistent bright spot in the economic recovery throughout 2013," said Bill Fay, Toyota division group vice president. "We expect the economy will continue to gain strength in 2014, with car sales rising to pre-recession levels."

At its namesake Toyota division, total sales fell 4.6 percent from last year to 156,086 units, and at its smaller Lexus division, total sales climbed 13.6 percent to 34,757 units.

Car sales at Toyota division slid 10.6 percent to 79,382 units, with Prius down 21.6 percent, Corolla 8.6 percent, Camry 4.6 percent growth. Among smaller volume cars, Yaris was down 70 percent, while Avalon gained 20 percent. Scion was down 21.7 percent.

At Lexus division, car sales grew 18 percent to 19,083 units, with IS sedans faring well.

Meanwhile, Toyota division truck sales edged up 2.7 percent to 76,704 units, on sales of RAV4 and Tundra. Lexus division truck sales increased 8.6 percent to 15,674 units.

Toyota's full year 2013 sales grew 7.4 percent to 2.24 million vehicles.

Among US auto makers, General Motors Co. (GM) said its US sales in December slid 6.3 percent year-over-year to 245,733 vehicles, on weak demand for brands such as Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillacs and Buick. For ar 2013, GM's U.S. sales rose 7.3 percent to 2.79 million vehicles.

Ford Motor Co. (F) recorded sales of 218,058 vehicles vehicles, up 1.8 percent from a year ago, mainly on strength of utility vehicles and truck sales. For 2013, Ford's US sales rose 10.8 percent to 2.49 million vehicles.

Chrysler Group LLC, majority-owned by Italian car maker Fiat SpA (FIATY.PK), said its US vehicle sales for December grew 6 percent to 161,007 units.

Toyota is trading at $120.06, down $0.57 or 0.47%, on a volume of 385 thousand shares on the NYSE.