Toyota Sales Down Sharply In June

(AP) – June may not be the month Toyota eclipses General Motors as the top U.S. auto seller after all.

High gasoline prices and a weak economy sent Toyota’s sales for last month plunging more than 21 percent.

The Japanese auto maker had been expected to fare better because it has a lineup more tilted toward small fuel-efficient cars and crossover vehicles.

But that didn’t happen. Toyota’s car sales dropped 9.4 percent for the month, while its truck sales slipped 38.9 percent. Its sales for the first half of the year are down 6.8 percent.

General Motors has yet to report its June results. Earlier today, Ford reported a slide of almost 28 percent for June with steep drops in sales of pickup trucks and SUV’s.

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)