Toyota and Lexus vehicles continue to offer peace of mind and value to Canadians

(TORONTO) – Canadians are still in the market for quality, fuel-efficient and versatile vehicles to meet their mobility needs, producing strong March sales of new and recently refreshed Toyota and Lexus models – led by Canadian-built vehicles.

 

Toyota Canada Inc.’s (TCI) sales of Toyota and Lexus cars, SUVs and trucks totalled 15,901 in March, off 23% from March 2008. Lexus achieved a new record March with 1,363 models sold, up 21%, and 14,358 Toyotas were sold during the month, off 25.5% from the previous year.

 

Highlights for March 2009 (versus March 2008):

 

· A record March for the Canadian-built Toyota RAV4, with 1,968 models sold (up 21.5%). This is the third-straight record sales month for RAV4, following a best-ever year in 2008.

 

· A record March for the Canadian built Lexus RX350. In its first full month of sales since the third-generation 2010 model was introduced, Lexus sold 768 models (up 95.9%).

 

· Continued strong sales growth for the Toyota Venza, as the four-cylinder model joined V6-powered editions at Toyota Dealers. Sales of 684 in March bring total Venza sales to 1,628 since the model was introduced in January.

 

"This year, our highly anticipated annual Toyota Red Tag Days event offers customers the peace of mind of fuel efficiency, quality and value and Canadian-built vehicles,” noted Warren Orton, Director at TCI. “We’d like to thank our Canadian customers who, in difficult economic times, decided our Canadian-built Toyotas, our new vehicles like the Venza, and our mix of incentives, financing offers and Toyota’s Job Loss Protection Program together represent money well spent.”

 

More information on Toyota’s Red Tag Days event can be found on www.toyota.ca, or at any Toyota Dealer.

 

"Led by the all-new, Canadian-built 2010 Lexus RX350, a record number of Canadian drivers found an exceptional luxury motoring experience at Lexus in March,” said Larry Hutchinson, Director of Lexus in Canada. “More than ever, luxury vehicle buyers are demanding tremendous value – in terms of vehicle quality, performance, features, and in their overall dealership experiences. With new and exciting vehicles on the way, including luxury hybrids like the Lexus RX450h and Lexus HS250h, we look forward to welcoming more Canadians to Lexus in the coming months.”

 

More information on Lexus vehicles and offers can be found at www.lexus.ca or at any Lexus Dealer.