Toyota's net surges, raises forecast
Toyota's net surged 90% in fiscal first-half according to this Wall Street Journal story (subscription required):
Toyota, the world's third-largest car maker behind General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co., sold one million vehicles in the six months ended Sept. 30, up 17% from a year earlier. The auto maker expects strong sales to continue in the U.S., and it slightly raised its forecast for sales in North America to 1.97 million vehicles for the fiscal year ending in March, an increase of 30,000 vehicles from its previous forecast.
"Although the [U.S.] stock market is declining, housing prices and demand are strong. And since consumption moves in tandem, auto demand has also been very strong. Right now, we see no signs of that changing," said Toyota Executive Vice President Ryuji Araki.
Toyota, Honda Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co., Japan's top three car makers, all are picking up market share in the U.S., thanks to a string of hot-selling models. Toyota is the top-selling foreign brand in America, with a market share of more than 10%. The Japanese makers are posting sales gains even though they haven't offered as many of the 0%-financing deals and other sales incentives on new cars as have their big U.S. rivals.