Toyota Motor Corp became the second biggest seller of new vehicles in the US market during the first half of 2007, topping US rival Ford Motor Co and following General Motors Corp, data released by a US research firm showed.
Toyota sold a record 1,331,074 units in the six months through June, up 8.8 per cent from the same period in 2006, taking the second spot for the first time on a first-half basis as higher gasoline prices drove customers to more energy-efficient Japanese vehicles, Autodata Corp said.
The US Big Three automakers - GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler Corp - marked declines from a year earlier, affected by their corporate restructuring efforts such as downsizing.
Sales at GM fell 6.8 per cent to 1,880,718 units. Ford posted an 11.3 per cent fall to 1,285,442 units, with the North American division of DaimlerChrysler AG down 1.5 per cent to 1,113,093 units.
Carmakers in the US market sold 8,245,922 units in the reporting period, down 1.5 per cent.
Toyota, Japan's biggest car manufacturer which is almost certain to replace GM this year as the world's biggest maker by sales, enjoyed robust sales of subcompact vehicles, like the Corolla, as well as gas-electric hybrid vehicles.
Among other Japanese makers, Honda Motor Co marked a 3.5 per cent rise to 766,929 units while Nissan Motor Co and Mazda Motor Corp, an affiliate of Ford, advanced 4.6 per cent and 8.5 per cent, respectively, to 535,380 units and 152,683 units.
In June alone, sales at GM plunged 21.7 per cent to 316,307 units partly because it reduced sales to corporate customers. Ford and DaimlerChrysler also recorded 8.0 per cent and 1.4 per cent declines, respectively, bringing the combined market share of the Big Three down to 50.2 per cent from 56.1 per cent a year before.
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