Toyota sees November U.S. auto sales at 14.8-15.2 million annualized rate

Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> U.S. executive Jim Lentz said consumers purchasing new vehicles to replace those lost during Superstorm Sandy will mean strong November U.S. auto sales.

On a seasonally adjusted annualized basis, November U.S. sales will be between 14.8 million and 15.2 million new vehicles, said Lentz, president and chief executive of Toyota Motor Sales, USA.

Lentz, speaking on the sidelines of a JD Power & Associates and National Automobile Dealers Association conference, said Toyota believes 400,000 cars and trucks were destroyed by Sandy, and that 100,000 of those were new vehicles.

(Reporting by Bernie Woodall; Editing by Gary Hill)