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Toyota's Tampa/St. Petersburg-Area Sales Rise

6 May 1998

Toyota's Tampa/St. Petersburg-Area Sales Rise

    MIAMI, May 6 -- Toyota's five Tampa/St. Petersburg-area
dealers reported today a 20-percent increase in April retail car sales and a
17-percent advance in retail truck sales over the same month last year.
    Tampa/St. Petersburg-area Toyota dealers include Clearwater Toyota,
Courtesy Toyota, Precision Toyota, Stadium Toyota and Sutherlin Toyota.
    Dealers throughout the five-state region served by Southeast Toyota
Distributors, Inc., also ended the month on a high note.
Regionwide, Toyota sales set a new record, advancing 9.8 percent over the
former April record set in 1996.
    Leading the way was the all-new North American-built Corolla, up
56 percent over last April. Other sales leaders include the restyled Avalon,
up 16 percent and the two-wheel-drive Tacoma pickup, up 15 percent.
    "The redesigned Corolla delivers everything today's value-conscious
compact sedan buyer is looking for," said Southeast Toyota General Manager
John Williams.
"Attractive lease programs and affordable financing made the Corolla an
especially good value and strengthened our dealers' showroom traffic."
    Ranked first among Toyota's American distributors in sales and
customer satisfaction, Southeast Toyota is the independent distributor of
Toyotas in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Owned and operated by JM Family Enterprises, Inc., Southeast Toyota is based
in Deerfield Beach, Florida.

SOURCE  Toyota Motor Sales, Inc.