Toyota August sales, production fall for second straight month

According to Business Recorder, Toyota Motor said on Tuesday that worldwide vehicle sales and output both declined in August, marking a second consecutive monthly fall. Global sales dropped 6.4% from a year earlier to 790,743 vehicles, while production fell 5.9% to 700,860 units.

Sales in China plunged 22.8%, extending a seventh straight monthly decline, as costlier petrol weighed on demand for hybrid and combustion-engine models. The US, Toyota's largest market, saw sales slip 4.4%, while Middle East sales slumped 37.5%, and Japan posted a 9.1% gain.

Production fell 11.3% in China and 6.6% in the US, while Japanese output dropped 1.7%, partly due to suspensions after an earthquake on Kyushu, the southern island. The figures also include the luxury Lexus brand.