Toyota Motor Corp.’s monthly global sales rose in February following a slow start to the year, after a plateau in shipments abroad were offset by an uptick in Japan.
Global sales, including at subsidiaries Daihatsu Motor Co. and Hino Motors Ltd., gained 9.5 per cent in February from a year earlier to 825,217 units, the company said Friday. Group sales in Japan surged 52 per cent. Worldwide production climbed 12.5 per cent to 887,588 units.
The global automobile industry is bracing for turmoil after President Donald Trump on Thursday imposed a 25 per cent tariff on cars imported to the US, starting next week.
That, along with intense competition with electric vehicles in China and hybrids in the US, spells trouble for Japanese carmakers losing ground in both markets.
Toyota is finally beginning to show signs of recovery from a series of regulatory scandals and major recalls abroad over the past two years.
Toyota delivered 10.8 million vehicles in 2024, a drop from the previous year but still enough to beat Volkswagen AG and retain its title as the world’s biggest carmaker for a fifth consecutive year.
It now forecasts operating income of ¥4.7 trillion ($31 billion), indicating that it expects activity to pick up later.
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