In response to my recent article on the enduring vitality of sedans, it's clear that the sedan segment is far from dead. Toyota's recent Q3 2024 results in the United States highlight the Camry's continued success, with sales climbing steadily. The reliable family car saw a 1.7% increase to 22,934 units in Q3 alone. More notably, from January to September, the Camry's sales surged by 4.4% to 227,576 vehicles. This translates to an average of 833.6 Camrys sold daily over 273 days, a figure that likely rises when excluding weekends and holidays.
The Corolla is also enjoying a prosperous year, with a 6.9% rise in shipments to 177,092 cars by September. This equates to 648.6 Corollas sold each day. Unlike the Camry, which is only available as a sedan, the Corolla offers versatility with hatchback and GR performance versions, and in some markets, a practical wagon.
However, SUVs remain the dominant force. The RAV4, Toyota's cash cow, saw a significant 15.7% increase in sales to 350,331 units in the first nine months of the year. This amounts to 1,283 RAV4s sold daily since January.
These three models are just a snapshot of Toyota's global success. In 2023, Toyota cemented its position as the world's largest automaker for the fourth consecutive year, selling 9,483,137 vehicles. Its luxury arm, Lexus, also experienced remarkable growth, delivering 824,258 cars—a staggering 132% increase over the previous year.
