TOKYO, (Reuters) – Toyota Motor said on Tuesday its global vehicle sales and production fell for a second straight month in August, as declines in China, the US and the Middle East persisted after dragging down results in the prior month.
- The world’s biggest automaker saw global sales fall 6.4% from a year earlier to 790,743 vehicles and production drop 5.9% to 700,860 vehicles.
- A 22.8% plunge in China dragged sales down for a seventh consecutive month, as higher petrol prices weighed on demand for hybrid and traditional combustion-engine vehicles.
- Sales in the US, Toyota’s top market, fell 4.4%, while those in the Middle East slumped 37.5%, offsetting a 9.1% rise in Japan.
- Production was pulled down by an 11.3% drop in China and a 6.6% decline in the US. Output in Japan fell 1.7%, in part due to the impact of production suspensions following an earthquake on the southern island of Kyushu.
- Toyota’s figures include its luxury Lexus brand.
Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Cynthia Osterman
