Toyota's global sales sink 26% in H1

• Source: Shanghai Daily
• [08:16 July 29 2009]
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Toyota's global sales plunged 26 percent in the first half of this year as the recession hit auto demand, but troubles at United States rival General Motors saw the Japanese auto maker retain its world No. 1 spot.

Toyota Motor Corp said yesterday it sold 3.56 million vehicles in January through June, beating General Motors Co by about 10,000 units. GM sold 3.55 million vehicles worldwide in the same period, as growth in the Asia-Pacific region offset a slump in North American sales that led to GM filing for bankruptcy protection last month.

Global production at Toyota tumbled 40.6 percent to 2.97 million during the six months, largely because of production cuts earlier this year, company spokesman Yuta Kaga said. Toyota's domestic production totaled 1.48 million, down 43.7 percent from a year earlier.

In June, global production at Toyota totaled 636,307 units, down 23.7 percent from a year earlier.