TOYOTA: Sales slide 7.2% on slipping pickups; Lexus largely flat

Toyota brand sales fell 7.2 percent in December to 172,048, pulled down by falloffs in sales of its pickups as well as its entire sedan lineup. The brand’s best-selling vehicle, the RAV4 crossover, continued to roll as it recorded an 11 percent gain. Toyota’s other light trucks, with the exception of the low-volume Land Cruiser, posted declines. The brand’s car sales fell 8.5 percent and light trucks fell 6.5 percent.