TORRANCE, Calif. -

Toyota sold more than 370,000 certified pre-owned vehicles in 2013. One sale in particular, however, was fairly momentous for the automaker — and for the lucky customer.

In December, Jose Ortiz of Ypsilanti, Mich., bought a certified 2010 Toyota Matrix from Dunning Toyota in nearby Ann Arbor.  

This marked the 4 millionth CPO vehicle sold by Toyota, which said it is the first brand in the history of the business to have reached this milestone.

“Driven by great teamwork, Toyota’s certified used vehicle program has been a tremendous success not only in terms of units sold, but also in building customer loyalty,” said Bill Fay, the group vice president and general manager of the Toyota Division at Toyota Motor Sales USA.

“Toyota was the first manufacturer to have a certified used vehicle program and there is no better way to celebrate this milestone than to buy a Toyota certified for our 4 millionth customer.  On behalf of Toyota, I’d like to thank Jose Ortiz for being part of the Toyota family.”

The company held a ceremony at Dunning Toyota, where Fay presented a check to Ortiz equaling the total cost of the vehicle.

Additionally, Toyota presented Alpha House Interfaith Hospitality Network — a local non-profit emergency shelter, sponsored by Dunning Toyota, for homeless children and their families — with a check of the same amount.

‘Another Million’

Toyota’s strong CPO year was part of the third consecutive best-ever year for the overall certified industry.  

Nationwide full-year CPO sales reached 2 million units for the first time ever, according to Autodata Corp., which estimated the industry total at 2.11 million sales for 2013.

And with a few handfuls of individual brands hitting best-ever annual sales and Toyota celebrating its 4 millionth CPO sale, it appears milestones are abundant.

Reached for reaction to Toyota’s landmark, Robert Larson — the retail sales and operations manager at TCUV/TRAC — shared this with Auto Remarketing:  “We look forward to partnering with the best dealers to delight another million customers.”

Auto Remarketing will feature the top dealers from a bevy of certified programs in our Feb. 15 print and digital issues that spotlights “The Best CPO Dealers in the USA,” including Toyota.