“Queen Sapphire/WWL” delivering Toyota and Lexus vehicles from Japan at Zeebrugge, Belgium.
Toyota Motor Europe (TME) reported half-year sales of 403,656, an increase of 3% compared to 2010. The results are good since the overall European light vehicle market is flat year-to-date and has been declining for three years. The Toyota Auris family ( 3- and 5-door hatchbacks off the Corolla platform), including the Auris hybrid, saw sales of 55,222 vehicles, up 22% from 2010.
The new compact Lexus hybrid – CT 200h helped Lexus sales increase by 42% or 21,983 vehicles compared to 2010. The Lexus CT 200h saw first half-year sales of 7,586, more than doubling its first quarter result. The Lexus hybrid is sold out worldwide and is in short supply in the United States.
Hybrids remain key to Toyota’s growth of course. Cumulative sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrid vehicles totaled 46,121 in Europe during the first half of 2011 (11% of all vehicle sales), an increase of 31% from the previous year, with the Auris hybrid and Lexus CT 200h making up nearly half of the hybrid sales.
Production volume for Toyota in Europe returned to the 100% level in June after the devastating Japan earthquake in March, and is now approaching normal levels in Japan. In order to satisfy customer demand for Toyota and Lexus vehicles, additional vehicle shipments have been scheduled, TME said in a statement. In July, 5,000 extra vehicles will be delivered to Europe. Customers ordering Toyota and Lexus vehicles can expect a fixed delivery date for their orders, in about two months for European-built models and three to four months for vehicles imported from Japan.
“We are now speeding up delivery to meet customer orders and, at a minimum, to reclaim our planned volumes through the rest of the year. We are confident to increase our sales volume on a yearly basis,” Didier Leroy, President and CEO of TME.
