Toyota projects domestic sales rise in August, 1st in 13 months+

KANAZAWA, Japan, Aug. 1 Kyodo -
Toyota Motor Corp. is likely to post a domestic sales increase in August, the
first year-on-year rise in 13 months, a senior company official said Saturday.
The upbeat projection came as Toyota has received brisk orders for its Prius
gasoline-electric hybrid on the back of recent government tax breaks and
subsidies for fuel-efficient cars.
''Domestic sales are on a recovery track. Sales in August are likely to exceed
last year's level,'' Senior Managing Director Masamoto Maekawa told reporters
at a sales promotion event in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.
He said the margin of sales decline narrowed in July.
Toyota has been posting year-on-year declines in monthly domestic sales since
August last year.
After recording the worst fall of 32.5 percent in February, the margin of
decline in Toyota's domestic sales narrowed to 11.4 percent in June.
Maekawa, however, warned of an uncertain outlook.
''It is necessary to achieve an economic recovery. We cannot be optimistic
about the future,'' he added.
Toyota said earlier this week that its domestic car sales in the January-June
period dropped 26.6 percent from a year earlier to 593,173 units as auto demand
fell heavily due to the recession.
==Kyodo
2009-08-02 00:11:43