TOYOTA SALES DOWN.

Toyota Motor Corp. says its global sales in the July-September quarter fell for the first time in seven years because of faltering demand in the United States.
Advertisement

Toyota said Monday it sold 2.24 million vehicles worldwide during the quarter, down 4% from the same period last year. It marked the first year-to-year decline in the July-September period since 2001, the company said.

Toyota had enjoyed strong U.S. sales earlier this year on robust demand for fuel-efficient vehicles, but September sales in the United States dropped 32% due to sluggish consumer spending.

Toyota has been vying with General Motors Corp. to be the world's biggest automaker by global sales. Last year, Toyota's group sales rose to 9.366 million vehicles, just shy of GM's 9.37 million.