Toyota’s road to top sales in the Netherlands

With the still fairly fresh Toyota Yaris Cross and Aygo X and the renewed Corolla, Toyota can prepare for a strong 2023. For two years now, the brand has been able to count itself among the best-selling car brands in the Netherlands again, which means that the Japanese are back in the position in which they were also a good ten years ago. Toyota and Dutch success also turned out to be two perfectly compatible things, while in the decades before that the brand invariably accounted for a market share of between 4 and 6 percent. Such a consistent percentage is not bad, but Toyota never made it to the top 3.

Toyota only entered this for the first time in 2009, when the Japanese managed to conquer second place with a market share of almost 10 percent (!) Volkswagen still kept the number 1 position with 38,660 sales, but Toyota came very close with 37,593 units. The brand then owed that to the Aygo and the Prius. The latter benefited from the addition rules that changed in 2008 and had its peak year in 2009, the Aygo was now established as a no-nonsense offer – and one of the cheapest, moreover.

In 2009, the third Prius came on the market and immediately managed to seduce with a low addition percentage.

2014 – 2018: Toyota is back to square one

Through 2013, Toyota managed to maintain a market share of around 7 percent with the Aygo, Yaris and Auris, good for fifth place in the brand ranking, but after that the brand was back to square one. Toyota managed to serve around 5 percent of the market again from 2014 to 2018, but with a now somewhat older Aygo and also three-year-old (hybrid) Yaris, it was really no longer possible.

But then success number Corolla came back. Despite the fact that the Yaris and Aygo have both been good for thousands of sales per year for years, the Corolla badge was by far the most often sold on the proverbial Dutch Toyota counter to date. With almost 220,000 sales in total, the model is unsurpassed within the line-up of the Japanese; the Yaris is number two with just 170,000 units. It is true that the Corolla had been around for many generations, but that has its consequences: the type name is deeply etched in Dutch memory – and that feels familiar.

Not that the Auris was such a flop, but bringing back the Corolla name was a masterstroke for Toyota. As an attractively styled sedan, hatchback or station wagon combined with a fuel-efficient hybrid powertrain, clean handling and interior, the Corolla has been able to sell thousands of sales per year since its relaunch in 2019. The model also performed well last year, but the time was right for a facelift. With a taut nose and updated powertrains, the Corolla is heading into 2023. Success guaranteed.

The hybrid Auris could also count on thousands of sales for a few years.

Familiar little ones

At least; a relative success. As mentioned, Toyota did not score once with a top-5 model in the past two years, but the brand itself did reestablish itself in the number 2 position. The secret to this seems to be in a solid foundation. Toyota’s cars have not scored short-lived in recent years by responding to trends, but combine economical powertrains with a reliable image for consistent sales. The Aygo and Yaris have been selling well for many years and since 2019 the Corolla has won acclaim.

Yaris-Aygo-Corolla, consistently good for the top 3 of Toyota since 2019. What is striking: there is no crossover yet. The C-HR has been around for a while and is doing well, but with its taste-sensitive carriage it does not really achieve shocking numbers. The brand then introduced the Yaris Cross – which in 2022, its first full year, almost knocked the Aygo off the Toyota throne – and more recently also the Corolla Cross.

Despite their higher carriage, both models are relatively economical due to the increasingly crystallized hybrid powertrains, but they also fit in with what the aging or fashion-sensitive Netherlands wants: a high seat and a somewhat adventurous appearance. So you can count on Toyota not leaving the top 3 for the time being. The Aygo-and-Yaris foundation currently consists of two models that are far from being replaced, the facelifted Corolla settles with them and the Cross versions of Corolla and Yaris are allowed to serve the crossover public on behalf of the brand . But will Toyota finally win the number 1 position?

Toyota’s market share in the Netherlands since 2006. Prior to that year, the brand always managed to serve between 4 and 6 percent of the market.