Toyota powers to 14th successive year of record UK sales

Toyota has achieved record sales in the UK for the fourteenth year in a row, once again bucking the trend in a new car market that has suffered a further fall in volumes.

Combined UK sales of Toyota and Lexus passenger cars and Toyota LCVs totalled 139,034 units in 2006, an increase of 0.5 per cent on 2005 in a market which overall declined by 3.3 per cent.

Lexus was a star performer, with a 39.4 per cent increase in registrations to 14,691 units, its best performance since the brand was launched in 1990. The figures testify to the success of a series of new models and powertrains introduced during the past 18 months, including the hybrid power GS 450h, the new RX 350 and the new IS sports saloon, which has introduced Lexus’s first diesel engine, backed up by Lexus’s industry-leading customer service. The momentum of Lexus’s growth will be supported during 2007 with the launch this week of the LS 460 limousine and the introduction later in the year of the hybrid power LS 600h flagship model, the first Lexus to be offered with a long wheelbase option.

Although the UK passenger car market fell by almost four per cent, Toyota maintained its 5.02 per cent share and its position as the UK’s sixth most popular car brand. The introduction of the new Hilux helped increase Toyota LCV sales by more than 20 per cent.

Miguel Fonseca, Toyota (GB) PLC Managing Director, said: “It is a testament to the high quality and appeal of Toyota and Lexus models and the exceptional level of service provided to our customers by our Centres that this fourteenth record-breaking result has been achieved.

“With further model launches scheduled for 2007, in particular the introduction of the spacious new Auris C-segment hatchback, we are well-positioned to sustain our market-beating performance and make a strong contribution towards Toyota’s target of 1.2 million annual sales in Europe by the end of 2008.”