Toyota Ends Tough Year With Record High Market Share

EPSOM , UNITED KINGDOM – January 8, 2010: Few car makers will look back fondly on 2009, but Toyota has made the best of a bad situation thanks to new models and a well organised, fast starting scrappage scheme offer that had attracted many buyers keen to buy into the quality and strong residual value of the brand.

The highlights are a record high market share of the passenger car market of 5.14 per cent, placing Toyota fourth in the rankings ahead of traditional rivals such as Peugeot, Nissan and Honda. Previous bests were sixth in 2006 and 2008.

December was a record month in itself (6,097 sales) as was the Fourth Quarter (22,699 sales). The annual sales volume was 102,595, just 2.8 per cent down on the previous year compared to the market overall which was down 6.4 per cent.

A factor in Toyota’s success was the high proportion of retail sales. Two-thirds (66 per cent) of Toyota sales were to private buyers (compared to 41 per cent for Ford and Vauxhall and 46 per cent for VW), a strong endorsement of the values of the brand from private individuals with the freedom to choose any make of car. Private buyers quote quality, reliability and environmental leadership among the principal reasons for their choice of a Toyota.