NEWS: Toyota and Nissan sales, BMW V10

By Michael Banovsky

Today’s news roundup is not particularly exciting (unless you enjoy graphs), so I’ve kept the numbers brief and saved the most interesting news for last.

Toyota sales

(TORONTO) ­ Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) today announced that it has achieved an all-time record Canadian market share of 12.4 per cent, thanks to strong sales in the month of May.

Lexus set an all-time sales record with sales of 1,107; up 32.4 per cent for the month. Lexus car sales of 454 units are 33.9 per cent ahead of last May. Lexus truck sales set a new May record of 653 units and are 31.4 per cent better than a year ago.

“Outstanding customer demand for the new Lexus RX 400h gasoline/electric hybrid SUV has helped shatter sales records for the popular RX lineup,” said Stuart Payne, Director responsible for Lexus in Canada. “Strong sales of the ES and GS sedan lineups also helped propel Lexus to this record-breaking sales month.”

Highlights:

Best month ever for Echo lineup (Sedan and Hatchback), with 3,817 units, outselling last May by 8.4 per cent.
Best month ever for Matrix, as 2,878 units sold leap sales ahead by 35.8 per cent.
Tacoma truck sales of 663 units are ahead of last year by 212.7 per cent.
Total sales of Lexus RX SUVs reach an all-time high of 594 units, up 41.8 per cent.
Sales of 102 Lexus GS sedans are up significantly over last May.
Sales of 266 Lexus ES sedans are up by 26.7 per cent.

Nissan sales

(MISSISSAUGA) - Nissan Canada Inc. recorded a strong May, which follows a record setting April. Nissan Canada Inc. sold a total of 6,831 units, a 328 unit increase over May 2004.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Nissan division beats May 2004 numbers by 202 units.
Nissan division posts 3.4 per cent increase in April 2005 versus April 2004.
Nissan truck sales were strong with Frontier sales up 207.8 per cent over the previous May, selling 102 units.
X-Trail sales strong with 935 units sold this month.
Altima:1680 units sold.
Xterra continues its strong year with 265 units sold.
Infiniti Sales up 3.7 per cent in May 2005 with 847 units sold versus the previous Month when 816 units sold.
Infiniti sales up 17.4 per cent in May 2005 versus May 2004. Overall a 7 per cent increase in total sales by May 2004.
G35 sales continue strong with 528 units sold in May (an 11 unit increase over April
Infiniti sold a record 115 units of its all new M45 luxury sedans in May.

International Engine of the Year Award

From http://www.ukintpress.com/engineoftheyear/

BMW takes home a record six trophies in one year – haul includes the overall International Engine of the Year 2005 title for the M5 V10

BMW’s Formula One-inspired 5-litre V10 that powers the M5 and M6 super-sedan and super-coupe has been named the best engine in the world in the International Engine of the Year Awards 2005.

The Bavarian car maker, which has also won Awards for its M3 3.2-litre and its new twin-turbodiesel 3-litre in this year’s competition, walked away from the seventh annual International Engine of the Year Awards Presentation with a total of six trophies, the newly crowned V10 having also dominated the Best New Engine, Best Performance and Best Above 4-litre categories. The unit beat tough competition from rival and previous Awards’ winner Mercedes-AMG and from last year’s overall International Engine of the Year, the Toyota Prius 1.5-litre Hybrid Synergy Drive, which in 2005 has won the Best Fuel Economy and Best 1.4-litre to 1.8-litre categories.

Juror Van Tune, America’s most-watched TV automotive pundit said of the BMW 5-litre, now International Engine of the Year 2005: “Who in the world needs an Autobahn-eating 507bhp V10 with a bloodthirsty battle cry that frightens Ferraris, but morphs into a dutiful pussycat in city traffic? You and I do, of course.” Van Tune was one of 56 motoring journalists from 26 countries who voluntarily give their time to choose the greatest powerplants in the world.

Elsewhere in this prestigious contest, the 1.3-litre Multijet turbodiesel that was jointly developed by Fiat and GM took the 1-litre to 1.4-litre honours, while Honda’s Insight 1-litre hybrid won the sub 1-litre category for the sixth consecutive year. The Japanese firm’s 2.2-litre turbodiesel won the Best 2-litre to 2.5-litre sector.

BMW wasn’t the only German manufacturer to experience success with its performance engines: Volkswagen’s Golf GTi 2-litre FSI turbo engine topped the 1.8-litre to 2-litre class.