The last year has been rough for automakers. We've all heard the story by now, with the lack of semiconductors creating inventory shortages the world over. Without parts to make their cars, as well as high used car and gas prices, manufacturers have been reporting downward trends in sales for the first quarter of the year.

Toyota is no different. However, that doesn't mean there aren't some small wins the manufacturer is looking to celebrate. We already talked about the massive sales success of the brand's GR86 sports car. Other models are pulling Toyota's weight as well, with sales for both the Toyota Tundra and 4Runner rising despite supply chain woes.

Overall, that still resulted in a downward trend for both Toyota and Lexus. In April 2022, Toyota sold 184,960 vehicles, putting the manufacturer down 22.7% compared to last year in North America. Toyota Division sales are also down 23.4%, with Lexus selling 22,296 vehicles this month. That figure puts Lexus down 17.5% compared to last year.

Additionally, Toyota North America's electrified sales (including hybrids) are down, despite the introduction of the BZ4X. The brand sold 47,431 electrified vehicles, down 16% from this time last year. However, those sales do total a hefty 25.6% of Toyota's sales. That's a healthy number considering just a few years ago Toyota had exactly zero full-electric offerings here in the US. Sales for Toyota EVs also appear to be on a broader upward trend, with those accounting for 25.8% of sales year-to-date compared to 23.1% in 2021.

Despite that largely downward trend for Toyota, its traditional big hitters pulled through for the brand. The Toyota 4Runner saw a sales increase of 10.3% this month, which is hopefully a sign of a cooling autos market. That's further evidenced by a rise in Tundra sales as well, with those figures rising 3.9%. However, both pale in comparison when you see the figures for the RAV4 HEV, which rose a staggering 97.1%.

We're hoping these increases in vehicle sales for the month lead to a more upward trend for Toyota. If it continues, we should see some small parts of the autos market begin to stabilize after more than a year of dealer price gouging and inventory shortages across the US.