Southeast Toyota Distributors Announces Record Setting Sales for August

MIAMI, Sept. 17, 2002 -- Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, (SET) today reported the best-ever sales month in 34 years of business as the independent distributor of Toyota products in five southeastern states. SET reported 26,156 vehicles sold in August, up 22 percent over this time last year. Nationally, Toyota Motor Sales USA, Inc. (TMS) reported record-setting August sales as well with 186,599 vehicles sold, up 13.2 percent.

"Consumers are the real winners this year, as vehicle selection has never been more varied, and new-car purchases have been more affordable now than they've been in the last 24 years," said SET President and JM Family Enterprises Chairman and CEO Pat Moran. "With the customer-friendly buying experience being offered by Southeast Toyota dealers, combined with Toyota's well-established reputation for quality, the conditions are all in place for us to achieve record-breaking sales."

Camry, the number one selling car in America, led the charge at SET with best-ever August sales of 7,515, up 36 percent. The '03 model year Corolla compact sedan also enjoyed best-ever record sales with 3,394 units sold.

The Prius gas/electric hybrid sedan enjoyed best-ever August sales with 119 units sold, up 183 percent. The Toyota Prius is the first hybrid electric-gasoline automobile to be certified by the United States Internal Revenue Service as eligible for a $2,000 clean-burning fuel tax deduction.

It was also SET's best-ever selling month for Toyota light trucks with 12,067 sales, an increase of 19 percent over the same period last year. The Highlander mid-size sport utility vehicle (SUV) achieved its best-ever sales month with 2,041 units sold, up 37 percent. The RAV4 compact SUV also reported its best-ever sales month with 1,327, up 25 percent. Best-ever August sales of the Sequoia full-size SUV totaled 1,363, or 21 percent of the entire national sales results. Two-wheel drive Tacoma compact pickup sales totaled 2,297, an increase of 31 percent -- or 23 percent of nationwide sales.

August sales of Toyota Certified Used Vehicles at SET totaled 4,265, an increase of 20 percent. Calendar-year-to-date sales totaled 29,747, up 21 percent compared to the same period last year. Toyota is the top-selling certified used vehicle in America for a single line manufacturer and Camry is the top-selling certified used car. Since Toyota launched the TCUV program in January 1996, it has sold over 785,000 certified used vehicles.

Ranked first among Toyota's American distributors in sales and customer satisfaction, Southeast Toyota Distributors, LLC, (www.buyatoyota.com) is the largest franchised distributor of Toyotas in the world. The company distributes vehicles in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina and South Carolina. Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, Southeast Toyota is owned and operated by JM Family Enterprises, Inc., a $7.8 billion diversified automotive corporation.