Toyota Promotes Don Esmond to Oversee Sales of Brands in the U.S.

Toyota Motor Corp., the largest Asian automaker in America, promoted Don Esmond to manage sales of the Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands in the United States.

Esmond, 61, senior vice president of Torrance-based Toyota Motor Sales USA, and general manager of the Toyota brand, beginning today also will oversee sales and marketing for Lexus and Scion autos, the company said in a statement. General managers of Toyota, Lexus and Scion will report to Esmond.

Toyota also said Denny Clements would retire June 1 as general manager of Lexus, the top-selling U.S. luxury auto brand. Bob Carter, 45, a Toyota division vice president, will succeed Clements at Lexus. Jim Lentz, 49, vice president of marketing, will take over from Esmond as Toyota brand manager.

Esmond, Lentz, Carter and their boss, Chief Operating Officer Jim Press, 58, have worked together at Toyota for more than two decades. During that time, Toyota’s annual U.S. sales have more than tripled, to 2.06 million last year. Profit from the U.S. accounts for more than 75% of the automaker’s global operating profit, the company has said.

“You can’t be good consistently for as long as Toyota has in this market without solid management talent,” said Jim Hall, a Southfield, Mich.-based auto analyst for consulting firm AutoPacific Inc.

Toyota, the world’s second-largest automaker, raised U.S. sales 10% in 2004. This week the company said U.S. sales should rise at least 2% this year.

Clements, 60, has led Lexus for five years. He will give up day-to-day management duties starting April 1, Toyota spokesman Xavier Dominicis said.

Clements’ decision to retire was personal and isn’t related to either performance or health reasons, the company said.

“Look at the results,” Dominicis said. “He’s going out on top.”

Lexus has outsold BMW, DaimlerChrysler’s Mercedes-Benz, General Motors Corp.’s Cadillac and other luxury brands in the U.S. for five years. Last year, Lexus sales rose 11% to 287,927.

Toyota’s U.S. shares fell $1.20 to $74.81 on the New York Stock Exchange.