Toyota sees positive April result, HiLux still number-one seller

By Matt Brogan | May 05th, 2010

Toyota’s year-on-year sales were up more than 28 per cent in April, with the Toyota HiLux range topping the brand’s new-car sales list.

The news comes as many manufacturers see solid post-GFC results in Australia, with April the seventh consecutive month of higher year-on-year sales.

In April, Toyota sold a total of 16,697 vehicles, a margin of over 6700 vehicles (or 67.6 per cent) above its nearest rival. The total figure up 13,033 units (or 28.1 per cent) against the same month last year.

The brand’s HiLux light commercial range was its number-one seller in April, selling more than 3400 units. It’s the fifth time the HiLux has topped the sales charts, the news coming two years to the day after it first reached number one, in April 2008.

Other strong sellers for Toyota include the Prado SUV, the model selling almost 1500 units last month, Toyota Corolla, on 2829 sales, Toyota Camry with 1830 sales, Toyota Yaris recording 1799 units and Toyota Aurion on 1024 units.

Similarly, Toyota LandCruiser 200 Series, HiAce van and HiAce bus all led their respective segments.

“Toyota’s dealers responded to the global financial crisis with kaizen (continuous improvement) activities designed to improve their service to customers even further,” said Toyota Australia’s senior executive director sales and marketing, David Buttner.

“These changes have contributed significantly to the pick-up in sales, which we expect to continue throughout the year.

“We also recognise the support of consumers for our extensive model line-up and wish to thank our customers for their on-going loyalty.”

Baddass

Haha, the Coaster is still soldiering on, looking much the same as it did 15 years ago.

Camry lover

Yes, you see the Coaster has yet to be bettered by a competing model after this long, so Toyota do not need to update their class-leading product.

Another great Toyota vehicle. I was chauffeured in a Toyota Coaster from the airport to our hotel in 1998, and it was a big step up from the Mazda version we have been chauffeured in once before.

Nowadays, we tend to just hire an automobile from the airport (usually a Toyota if one is available, as they are more reliable).

Baddass

Just to keep this (ridiculous) argument going, I can only think of one competitor for the Coaster on the Aussie market, and that is the Mitsubishi Rosa, and I don’t know if that’s on sale anymore either. So to say the Toyota is class-leading wouldn’t be far off the mark. It is a dated product, there is no hiding that, especially since you said you last rode in one in 1998.

While we’re at it, I hate it when airport shuttles aren’t reliable Toyotas. Once the taxi drivers tried to lure me into their Alfa GTVs and Maserati Coupes, but I quickly refused. Don’t they know I want a soft VVTi thrum to help ease the effects of jetlag, or feel the slight understeer of a large FWD V6 sedan when the driver belts it through the airport carpark?
Ricky

I think the Coaster is a silly model and WAY overpriced for what it is. They don’t even sell it in Europe, I don’t think. Nor in the US. In the US they use Ford E-series vans which seat up to 15 people and cost about 25 grand. If seating for more than 15 is required, then custom versions are done on these vans, such as for airport shuttles and so forth. My memory of Coasters comes from having them as school buses back in the 80s and 90s.

Icejagans

I just love this camry lover guy. He just makes my day

Camry lover

Thank you for your kind words.

Fenno

Note to self Camry Lover…Please look up the definition of sarcasm…Maybe your ever helpful Toyota dealer can help you with it. Do you find when you arrive into your local dealer a lot of the staff tend to coincidently disappear on their breaks?
I have a hunch that you may just work for the “corporation” with the amount of propaganda issued from your profile….come to think of it that would not be following the Kaizen philosophy, therefore I suspect you would be a thinktank of marketing gurus based at TMCA.
Or for those of us who have been around for a while Dingo may have just got himself a new car…

JooberGTi

Lol Camry lover = latest stirrer.

I hope with their continuous improvement (kaizen) they not going to cut important recourse on some processes e.g. ensuring a problematic vehicle is checked over properly and not rely on simple text book procedures ‘if A goto B’ just to improve timeliness and efficiency.

Just to add a problem with the continuous improvement culture Toyota is breathing upon, it drives people to become more efficient and efficient pushing the possibility of taking shortcuts and therefore pays the price with recalls as of recently, but done properly its amazing how much you can save from a cost and time point of view.

yowza

Exactly Joober GTI

The continuous push for efficiency, promotes cutting back on almost everything, and things get simplified to the bare minimum… so when these “things” undergo a slight unusual scenario they tend to not meet requirements..

In the end, Efficiency should not be the MAIN driver when designing or producing things.

It should be a MAJOR trait…. QUALITY is a given, but QUALITY means only meeting the “intented” design… so if you design a weak product, technically it can be within quality but its still weak… since the design is weak.

Toyota head honcho has already planned to stir Toyota back to the good old days, because lately they’ve become too obsess about maximising profit and efficiency as opposed to making ground breaking products that top its category.