Toyota Q2 Sales Fall Short to Rival in Key Metric – Should They Worry?

Toyota scored more U.S. sales than Ford during Q2, but year-over-year numbers have shown that Ford is hot on its Japanese rival’s tail. While Toyota Motor North America, which includes Lexus, delivered 54,374 more vehicles than Ford during Q2 at 666,469 units, Ford registered 14.2% annual Q2 gains, 7% more than Toyota. If this trend continues, the math suggests that Ford could overtake Tesla in Q3 U.S. sales. Still, Toyota has some advantages moving forward, such as its diversified supply chain. At the end of Q2, Toyota reported having 32 electrified vehicle options available, the most among any automaker. These electrified options include hybrids, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), battery electric vehicles (BEVs), and fuel cell electric vehicles (EVs). In June, Toyota’s electric vehicle (EV) sales rose 6.7% year-over-year on a volume basis to 90,426 total, representing 46% of its June sales. Ford lagged way behind Toyota in June with 25,254 electrified sales in the U.S., according to Ford Authority. Additionally, much of Ford’s Q2 success hinged on its employee discount program for most of its inventory, which ended July 6.