Toyota’s Luxury Division Just Had Its Best April Ever

Toyota and Lexus leapt into the second quarter of the year with a bang, posting massive sales increases on many of their most popular products. In fact, the luxury division enjoyed its best April and its best year-to-date sales in history, thanks in large part to the popularity of its hybrid and plug-in hybrid offerings. Among the big winners were the Lexus RX hybrid, which saw a 29 percent increase year-over-year, and the PHEV Lexus RX 450h+, whose sales more than doubled compared to April 2024.

Base Trim Engine: 2.5L I4 Hybrid
Base Trim Transmission: CVT
Base Trim Drivetrain: All-Wheel Drive

SUVs Win Big, But Don’t Count Sedans Out Yet

Almost every Toyota and Lexus SUV saw healthy sales during April 2025, although the bZ4X and RZ electric crossovers saw rather significant tumbles, and the 2025 Crown Signia didn’t quite compensate for the loss of the lame-duck Venza. Nevertheless, core models like the Toyota RAV4 and Corolla Cross enjoyed healthy showroom performance. Over at the Lexus dealer, only the subcompact UX and aforementioned RZ experienced sales slumps. The whole NX lineup was up 29 percent, while the RX and TX enjoyed 17 percent sales increases relative to last April. Also enjoying a nice bump in volume was the Lexus GX 550 SUV – it was newer and harder to get ahold of last April, so this month’s 3,959 total sales were a 247-percent increase.

That doesn’t mean the brands’ sedans are pariahs. At 6,849 units, the Toyota Prius sold 227 percent better this April than last, and even though the hybrid Camry lost its gas-only four- and six-cylinder engines for the 2025 redesign, it too experienced 3.1 percent better sales at 28,350 sold. Lexus sedans were more of a mixed bag; only the ES hybrid and the IS sold better this year than last year, with total car sales down 6.6 percent during April, although year-to-date sales were up 1.7 percent for the four-doors and 11.6 percent overall.

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Best-Ever Start To The Year For Lexus

The first four months of 2025 were the best ever for Toyota’s luxury brand, totaling 118,217 sales, an improvement of more than 11,000 compared to the same time period in 2025. Lexus electrified vehicles – encompassing EVs, plug-in hybrids, and conventional hybrids – drove a significant portion of that increase, accounting for 5,714 additional sales this year. At the other end of the brand spectrum, the Lexus GX has proven to be something of a hit for the brand, its 13,198 sales from January–April nearly catching those of the less expensive TX three-row crossover.

Toyota also started the year quite well. The brand moved 685,098 cars to new homes in the first four months, a slight 3.3-percent increase from 2024. However, Toyota hybrids and EVs comprised a much larger piece of the pie, with sales going from 243,991 units for January–April last year to a staggering 354,531 units this year. That number represents well over half of all Toyotas sold in the country so far in 2025, owing in large part to the death of the non-hybrid Camry and its seamless move to hybrid-only power. Toyota’s midsize sedan juggernaut handled its transition from internal combustion to gas-electric power incredibly well, and we liked it so much that we called it our first-ever CarBuzz Car of the Year.

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Source: Toyota