News 10-08-99 Page 4

News of August 10, 1999

Page 4 of 4

Toyota Sets Sales Record For Fourth Consecutive Month With Best-Ever July Sales
.

Torrance, CA, August 3, 1999 - Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc., today reported best-ever July sales of 139,483 vehicles, an increase of 13.8 percent over last July. In addition, it was the second-best sales month in Toyota's 42-year history in America and marks the fourth-consecutive monthly sales record.

Toyota Camry Solara

Toyota Camry Solara

Photo: Toyota

"Clear signals that the economy is beginning to moderate have had little effect on consumer confidence or industry sales," said Jim Press, TMS executive vice president. "Double-digit sales increases and strings of all-time best months are the norm, rather than the exception."

Both TMS sales divisions increased sales over the same period last year. Total year-to-date vehicle sales are nearly 90,000 units, or 11.8 percent, ahead of last year's all-time record. The Toyota Division recorded sales of 122,389 units, up 13.5 percent over last July. The Lexus Division posted best-ever July sales with 17,094 units, an increase of 16.4 percent over the same period last year.

Toyota passenger cars recorded best-ever July sales of 74,367, an increase of 6.3 percent over last year. Camry, America's best-selling passenger car, led the charge with best-ever July sales of 44,468, an increase of 12.7 percent. Year-to-date Camry sales are 17.0 percent ahead of last year's record sales pace. The popular Corolla compact sedan also enjoyed best-ever July sales with 24,575 units sold, an increase of 7.0 percent over last July.

Toyota light trucks recorded the second-best sales month in its history with 56,019 units sold, an increase of 27.1 percent over last July. The all-new Tundra full-size pickup continued its hot start, despite limited inventory, with July sales of 3,807, bringing its two-month sales total to 11,818. The Sienna minivan and 4Runner and Land Cruiser SUV's each reported best-ever July sales. The Sienna reported 8,640 sales, up 32.5 percent, 4Runner posted 12,481 units, up 33.6 percent, while Land Cruiser recorded 1,654 sales, up 8.1 percent over last July. Toyota compact pickups also reported strong sales with 15,514 units sold, an increase of 9.8 percent over the same period last year.

The Lexus Division's record sales month was fueled by the RX 300 SUV which recorded 6,687 sales, an increase of 38.4 percent over last July. The popular GS 300 enjoyed sales of 2,171 units, up 25.2 percent and the LS 400 sold 1,860 units, an increase of 8.8 percent over the same period last year. The ES 300 sedan also saw a sales climb in July with 4,209 units sold, up 4.9 percent.

Sales of North American-built vehicles made up 65.1 percent of total July sales, up from 62.8 percent the previous year.

Record July in Europe for Chrysler and Jeep Brands Highlights DaimlerChrysler Sales Outside North America .
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. - Sales of the Jeep(R) Grand Cherokee and the Chrysler 300M led DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler and Jeep brands to their best July ever in Europe, with 10,539 cars and trucks delivered to customers, a 6 percent jump for those brands over July 1998. Chrysler and Jeep brands had double-digit or higher upswings in the United Kingdom, Greece, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and Italy. Grand Cherokee sales outside North America in total were 4,482, a 55 percent surge over last July. Sales for the Chrysler 300M were 702, up 47 percent from July 1998. .	1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee Photo: DaimlerChrysler
Sales outside North America for the Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep brands as a whole were down 9 percent for the month of July, with 15,983 vehicles sold, compared to 17,503 in the year earlier period. Bright spots included Puerto Rico, with sales of 615 vehicles, a 17 percent increase; Saudi Arabia, with sales of 261, a 39 percent increase over the previous year; and Kuwait, with 113 units sold, a 38 percent jump over sales in July 1998. Regionally, July sales were 2,771 in Latin America, a 25 percent decline from July 1998. Asia-Pacific sales were 1,813, down 39 percent from the previous year. Middle East/Africa sales were 860, off 8 percent from the previous year.
Ron Pniewski Promoted To Exetutive Director Of Planning, GMNA .
Detroit, Michigan, August 4, 1999 - Ronald D. Pniewski was appointed Executive Director of Planning for GM North America effective July 1, 1999. In this role, Mr. Pniewski will be responsible for North America Planning, including The Product Portfolio, (Vehicle and Powertrain), Capacity, Business and Technology Plans. In addition, in his new assignment, Ron will serve as a member of the North America Strategy Board. He will report operationally to Ronald L. Zarrella , Executive Vice President and President of GM North America, and functionally to Lawrence D. Burns, Vice President of General Motors Research and Development and Planning. He began his career at GM in 1976 and since that time has held various finance and planning positions. Most recently, Mr. Pniewski has been group director of Planning for the GM Truck Group. Mr. Pniewski holds a bachelor's degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in business administration. He earned both degrees at Wayne State University in Michigan.
Federal-Mogul Announces Planned Acquisition of Sabo Industria e Comercio Ltda. .
Southfield, Mich. - Federal-Mogul Corporation announced today that it has signed a letter of intent to acquire Sabo Industria e Comercio Ltda., a family owned business headquartered in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and a leader in gaskets, seals and hoses in South America. Sabo's wholly owned European subsidiary, KACO GmbH + Co., a leader in seals in Europe, will also be included in the acquisition. "Sabo is a great strategic fit for Federal-Mogul as it completes our total sealing offering in Europe," said Gordon Ulsh, president and chief operating officer, Federal-Mogul Corporation. "This acquisition adds South American leadership in total sealing and offers us the opportunity to support our customers expansion in one of the world's fastest growing markets." "Sabo is highly regarded for its leading technology and quality products in the original equipment and aftermarket customer channels," said Rick Streicher, vice president, Sealing Systems. Sabo employs approximately 3,000 people at its seven manufacturing facilities located in Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Hungary and Austria. Sabo has annual sales in excess of $180 million

[Homepage] [ News] [ Companies] [ Management] [ Publications] [ Events] [ Careers]
[Services] [Discussion] [ Guestbook] [ Search]