TOYOTA: Brand deliveries jump 21%, Lexus down 4.3%

Toyota Motor North America recorded its first year-over-year increase since July 2021 with September sales rising 17 percent to 179,050 total.

A 21 percent lift from the Toyota brand covered a 4.3 percent decline from Lexus. For the third quarter, the Japanese automaker's sales slipped 7.1 percent to 526,017, the automaker said.

Brands (Sept.): Toyota, up 21%; Lexus, down 4.3%

Notable nameplates (Sept.): Toyota RAV4, up 51%, Camry, up 46%, Highlander, up 3.4%, Tacoma, up 19%; Lexus RX, up 0.8%, NX, down 22%, ES, up 27%

Incentives: $672 per vehicle, down 63% from a year earlier, TrueCar says. On a quarterly basis, Toyota's incentives were $749, down 61%, TrueCar says.

Average transaction price: $40,547, up 2.2% from a year earlier, according to TrueCar. On a quarterly basis, Toyota's ATP was $40,900, up 6.8% from a year earlier, TrueCar says.

Fleet mix: 8.8%

Inventory: 140,810 vehicles (117,888 at the port, 22,922 at dealerships)

Quote: “Through the end of 2022, customers can expect even more electrified options in showrooms from both brands including four new Corolla hybrid grades, the all-new Toyota Crown with two hybrid options, and the all-new Lexus RX with available hybrid.” -- Jack Hollis, executive vice president of sales, Toyota Motor North America.

Did you know? So far this year, Toyota Motor North America's collective sales in the U.S. are down more than 15 percent from a year ago. If that trend holds through the end of the year, it would leave the Japanese automaker below 2 million sales in the U.S. for the first time since 2011, when its global operations were severely disrupted by a devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan.