Toyota's global sales, output hit July records

This photo taken on July 8, 2025 shows a logo of Japanese automaker Toyota in Tokyo, Japan. [Photo/Xinhua]

Toyota Motor Corp. said Thursday its global sales and production for July hit records for the month as strong overseas demand held firm despite the impact of higher U.S. auto tariffs.

Worldwide sales climbed 4.8 percent year-on-year to 899,449 vehicles in July, rising for the seventh straight month, while output gained 5.3 percent from a year earlier to 846,771 units, the automaker said.

By region, production in the United States rose 28.5 percent to 95,145 units on robust demand. In China, production climbed 17.1 percent to 135,235 units as a new EV model drew customers.

Earlier this month, the world's largest automaker cut its net profit forecast for the current fiscal year through March 2026, projecting a 44.2 percent drop to 2.66 trillion yen (about 18 billion U.S. dollars) as the higher U.S. auto tariffs are expected to outweigh cost-cutting and other efforts.

Japan and the United States have struck a trade deal that will set tariffs on Japanese cars at 15 percent, down from the current 27.5 percent but higher than the 2.5 percent rate in place before U.S. President Donald Trump introduced the sector-specific duty in April. It remained unclear when the new rate will take effect.