Toyota is one of the world’s best-selling car manufacturers. The Tacoma is one of Toyota’s best-known models, and one of the best-selling midsize pickup trucks on the market. That being said, despite its popularity, the Toyota Tacoma had a shaky start to the year in terms of sales, but fortunately for Toyota, its sales have recovered.
Toyota Tacoma sales in early 2022 were slower than normal
The Tacoma has always been a popular truck, but according to GoodCarBadCar, sales were down earlier in the year. It’s actually a continuation of a trend that started in 2021, and it could reflect the supply chain issues Toyota and other automakers are facing.
Toyota, like many other automakers, was forced to reduce production and temporarily shut down some production lines, simply because they could not keep up with the supply chain.
This has led to less inventory at dealerships and possibly less sales. In January 2022, Toyota reported selling only 15,285 Tacoma units, and this was the lowest amount of Tacomas sold by the Japanese automaker in January since 2017. Toyota sold only 12,509 midsize trucks in January 2017.
Month-over-month sales are up, but Toyota is still selling fewer Tacos than it did in 2021. For example, in February 2022, Toyota sold 16,185 units of the Tacoma, significantly fewer trucks than the 20,578 units Toyota sold in February. 2021. The overall picture had a similar look.
By mid-year, sales of the Toyota Tacoma started to pick up again
In the first six months of 2022, Toyota sold a total of 108,648 trucks. In comparison, in the first six months of 2021, the Japanese automaker sold a total of 139,296 units. That’s a drop of more than 30,000 units year-over-year, which equates to a nearly 22% drop in sales. That being said, since this sharp decline in sales can probably be attributed to the supply chain crisis, sales have eventually recovered.
By July 2022, sales rebounded, and in fact, July 2022 was the best July ever for Tacoma sales. Toyota sold 23,917 units of the Tacoma in July 2022, several hundred units more than the Japanese auto giant sold in July 2021. Tacoma’s 2022 sales also exceeded its 2021 sales in August, October and November Data for September 2022 is not currently available.
All said and done, Toyota has sold a total of 194,998 units of the Tacoma so far in 2022, and that doesn’t include sales in September or any sales that occurred in December.
2021 was the Taco’s best-selling year, as Toyota moved 252,490 units of the truck. If September and December sales data are good for Tacoma, it’s possible that despite a slow start, 2022 could be Taco’s best year yet.
There are many reasons why the Toyota Tacoma is popular
These great sales numbers shouldn’t come as a surprise, as the Tacoma has been the best-selling small truck for nearly two decades. Three big reasons have been the case. The first is capacity, as the Taco can tow up to 6,800 pounds when properly equipped. That’s more than enough towing capacity for many drivers.
The second is reliability. Toyota is famous for being reliable, and the Tacoma is well-known as an efficient workhorse that can last a long time.
Finally, there is the price. The Tacoma starts at around $27,000, making it relatively affordable for a pickup truck in today’s market.
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