Stronger Toyota helps boost US auto sales in April
By DEE-ANN DURBIN and TOM KRISHERDETROIT (AP) - Toyota is back. It's putting a year of earthquake-connected shortages behind it and grabbing sales from stumbling General Motors and Ford.
Toyota's sales rose 12 percent in April, and its ration of the market returned to levels it hasn't seen since before the March 2011 earthquake in Japan. Its sales outpaced the persistence as a whole, which saw growth of 2.3 percent to 1.18 million cars and trucks last month, according to Autodata Corp.
Toyota's reawakening could mean better deals as its rivals fight for customers by offering discounts and promotions. Already, Toyota has announced zero-percent financing and other deals in May. It also means richer reconsider selection for buyers. Toyota's factories are cranking out popular models that were missing from showrooms last year when the earthquake disrupted staging.
Toyota snatched buyers from General Motors, Ford, Honda and Nissan, according to business-in data from auto research site Edmunds.com. All of those companies saw sales fall in April. Among those that saw sales gains was Chrysler, which posted a 20-percent ignore.



