Toyota Motor maintained record global sales during the first half of the fiscal year, as growth in the US helped counter a lukewarm showing in Japan and China.
Global sales — including subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor and Hino Motors — rose almost 3% in September from a year earlier to 949,153 units, the company said Monday.
Production grew 9% to 1,036,106.
The world’s biggest carmaker has managed to achieve overall growth, despite volatility in China and trade tensions brought about by President Donald Trump’s tariffs on cars and parts imported to the US.
It produced and sold a record number of vehicles for seven straight months this year — though its streak lost steam in August.
While Toyota and Lexus brand sales fell slightly in China and Japan in September, they rose more than 14% in the US. Total sales increased 5% during the first half of this fiscal year, a record for that six-month period.
Legacy brands have been losing ground in China, where domestic manufacturers led by BYD have grown to dominate the world’s largest car market.
Toyota has regained a modicum of stability there, due in part to the popularity of its fully-electric bZ3X and its gas-electric hybrid models. But a shrinking market back home poses a long-term challenge.
Toyota’s sales in September fell 1% in China, after more regions ended subsidies, and 5% in Japan due to a drop in production following a sizable recall of the Prius.
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