Toyota sales fall for fourth month in May as declines in China, US and Middle East weigh

Toyota Motor said on Monday that global vehicle sales slipped for a fourth consecutive month in May, as decreases in China and ‌the ⁠Middle East weighed ⁠on overall results.

Global ​sales dropped 7.2% year-on-year to 834,279 vehicles, Toyota ​said in a release. Overseas sales fell 9.6%, while those ​in Japan rose 11.1%, ⁠helped by ‌strong demand ​for models ​such as RAV4 and ⁠bZ4X.

By region, sales in China ​plunged 31.7% amid tough ​market conditions, partly due to rising petrol prices, while those in the Middle East slumped 38.6%. In the U.S., ‌Toyota's top market, they edged down 0.6%.


Global production ​declined 5.5% ​from ⁠a year earlier, as a 3.8% drop in the U.S. and a 13.3% ​decrease in Asia offset a rise in Japan.

Toyota's figures include its luxury brand, Lexus. (Reporting by Daniel Leussink; Editing by Rashmi Aich)