Despite expectations that total U.S. car and truck sales this year will fall about 10 percent, one of Toyota Motor Corp.'s top U.S. salesmen doesn't see the automaker's sales declining.

        “We think our sales will be equal with last year,” James E. Press, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Toyota Motor Sales USA, said during a visit Friday to Toyota's Erlanger manufacturing headquarters.

        Toyota sold 1.74 million cars and trucks in the United States in 2001, up 7.5 percent from the prior year, and Mr. Press, who was Toyota's Cincinnati re gion sales manager in the late 1980s, said the company expects to sell the same number this year.

        Total U.S. car and truck sales in 2001 topped 17.2 million units, but auto industry economists are forecasting sales this year will slip to about 15.5 million units.

        “We're forecasting about 15.8 million units, with more of the recovery in the second half of the year,” he said. While the forecast is down from 2001, it would still be the fourth-best sales year on record, he said.

        Although some of Toyota's Detroit-based competitors are suf fering in the face of economic recession, the Japanese-based automaker, whose largest U.S. assembly plant is in Georgetown, Ky., continues to prosper.

        “We have a product-rich strategy,” Mr. Press said, noting that the company introduced the Toyota Highlander sport-utility vehicle, a couple of new Lexus models and a redesigned Camry last year.

        This year, Toyota is introducing the ninth generation of its Corolla compact sedan in February and the new Corolla Matrix, a crossover vehicle which marries the economy of the Corolla with the functionality of an SUV.

        He disputed the view that Toy ota benefited from the sales decline that prompted Ford Motor Co.'s announcement Friday that it will trim 35,000 jobs and close five assembly plants.

        “It's not due to anything we've done,” he said. “If you don't take care of customers, somebody else will.”

        Overall, he said the U.S. auto industry is becoming more competitive. That means auto buyers are getting more car at a better price than in the past.

        “The auto industry today is building better vehicles, that perform better, are safer and cost less,” he said.

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