Toyota’s global sales decline in May for the fourth month economy

Toyota Motor said today, Monday, that global sales of its cars declined in May for the fourth month in a row, as declines in China and the Middle East affected the overall numbers.

⁠Toyota indicated in a statement that:

• Global sales fell 7.2% year-on-year to 834,279 vehicles.
• Sales in foreign markets decreased by 9.6%.
• Sales in Japan rose 11.1%, supported by strong demand for models such as the RAV4 and BZ4X.
• Sales in India jumped 15.3%, thanks to car tax cuts.
• In return Sales in China fell by 31.7% amid difficult market conditions, due to reasons including high gasoline prices.
• Sales in the Middle East fell by 38.6%, due to logistical disruptions caused by the regional conflict.
• In the United States of America – Toyota’s largest market – sales fell 0.6%.

Global production also decreased by 5.5% from its level a year ago, reaching 765,470 cars.

In exchange for a decline of 3.8% in the United States and a decline of 13.3% in Asia, the company’s production increased in Japan. Toyota’s numbers include its luxury brand, Lexus.

Official data indicated that Japanese car exports to the Middle East stopped almost completely during last April, as a result of shipping disruptions resulting from the US-Israeli war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.

Data from the Japanese Ministry of Finance at the time showed that exports of passenger cars, trucks and buses to the region decreased by more than 90% in value and quantities compared to the same period last year, in one of the biggest blows to the Japanese auto sector in years.

The Middle East is a major market for Japanese car companies, as the region accounted for about 14% of total global Japanese car exports during 2025, and it also constitutes an important market for used cars and highly profitable models.