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Toyota has now sold over 7 million hybrids

You take your victories where you can. In Toyota's case, that means disclosing the cumulative total of hybrid sales since the first Prius was sold in Japan in 1997. And that number is impressive. During its monthly conference call discussing sales, Toyota representatives noted that the automaker has sold over 7 million hybrids during the past 17 years. The Japanese automaker started selling the Prius in the Japan in 1997 (and in US in 2000) and firmly established itself as the world's largest hybrid maker. Today, Toyota sells four Prius models as well as gas-electric versions of the Camry, Avalon and Highlander in the US. Of course, such big sales aren't always easy to match, and Toyota's been lagging behind 2013's numbers all year. Including its Lexus division, Toyota's green-car sales including the low-volume RAV4 electric vehicle fell 10 percent from a year earlier in September to just over 21,000 vehicles. Through the first three quarters of the year, Toyota's green-car sales were down 9.1 percent to almost 247,000 vehicles. That still dwarfs any other automakers' green-car numbers. Toyota crossed the 6 million hybrid threshold in January when it doubled the 3 million total from March 2011. Toyota will start selling its first mass-produced hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicle in Europe next summer, and hopes that it will repeat the long-term success that the Prius has enjoyed, according to Automotive News Europe. For a transcript of the September sales call, click here.

Ford barely edges surging Chrysler for Canadian sales crown in best year ever

The auto industry in the US showed strong results through much of 2014 with sales regularly growing year-over-year for many brands. That same trend carried over in the Great White North, as well. Canada posted its best numbers ever with 1.85 million units sold, up about 100,000 vehicles over 2013. The country nearly had a new market leader, too. The big winner among our neighbors to the north in 2014 was Ford with 291,951 vehicles sold, up 3 percent from 2013, according to Reuters. That success also handed the company the sales crown for the fifth consecutive year. In large part, the strong result came from the company's popular trucks, which represented about 80 percent of overall sales. "Ford moved into the number one position in September and didn't look back," said a note to clients by DesRosiers Automotive Consultants quoted by Reuters. However, the Blue Oval didn't exactly take an overwhelming lead for the year. The company nearly had to hand over the sales trophy to FCA after the company rallied in the latter part of the year. The Italian-American conglomerate had its best results ever to nip at the Ford's heels and move 290,004 units for 2014, a 12-percent improvement from last year. Jeep especially helped the bottom line with over 50-percent growth, according to Reuters. Only two other brands were able to break the 200,000-vehicle barrier in Canada for 2014. General Motors came in third place overall with 249,800 sales, up 6.3 percent. The combined Toyota and Lexus also barely jumped the hurdle with 200,851 units moved, a 2.8 percent improvement.

Toyota issues multiple recalls for 6.4 million vehicles worldwide

It looks like 2014 may go down as the year of recalls. We were already at a record pace, and now it seems Toyota is recalling 6.39 million vehicles worldwide, including about 30 of its models for a variety of problems. None of the faults have caused any injuries or fatalities, but there have been two reports of fires caused by a defective engine starter motor.
Toyota's numbers show 1.772 million vehicles being recalled in the US, but that includes some overlap because the Yaris is being repaired for multiple faults. According to The Detroit News, there are 2.36 million affected models in all of north North America, 1.09 million in Japan and 810,000 in Europe, plus smaller numbers in other regions.
Among the vehicles recalled in the US are 1.3 million units of the 2009-2010 Corolla, Matrix and Tacoma, the 2008-2010 Highlander, the 2006-2008 Rav4 and 2006-2010 Yaris. The problem is that the driver's airbag module is attached via a spiral electrical cable. The connections on the cable can be damaged when the steering wheel is turned, which deactivates the airbag and causes the airbag warning light to come on. Toyota is replacing the cable with an improved part, but it's still making preparations to begin the repair. The company is sending affected owners notifications in the mail. According to The Detroit News, an unspecified number of Pontiac Vibe vehicles are also included in this recall because it shares the part with the Matrix.