In the first month of its launch, the 2016 Toyota Tacoma along with the leftover inventory of 2015 models outpaced the combined sales numbers of both the Canyon and Colorado.

Toyota Tacoma sold 11, 165 units in September, whereas Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon sold 7,334 and 2,332 units respectively. Nissan’s Frontier is taking a bigger sales hit with only 4,617 units sold this month, a 32% decrease over September figures of 2014.

Both Toyota and GM are presently strategizing to sell as many midsize trucks that they produce. Toyota’s full capacity was at 16,500 units for the last few months. However, with the launch of the new 2016 model, sales has predictably fallen a little below, primarily due to manufacturing issues.

When Torque News contacted Amanda Rice, the Toyota’s spokesperson, she said that September Tacoma sales will be a little lower than expectations as September will be the transition month of the new 2016 model. Yet the brand continues to enjoy robust demand from the consumers, she added.

Bill Fay, Toyota’s Group Vice President and General Manager was all praise for Tacoma. He said that despite Tacoma being in its 10th year of production, it is the hottest selling vehicles in the company’s lineup this year with a 20% increase in sales. The new 2016 model is also selling as fast as Toyota is able to manufacture.

Typically, during any changeover model, companies take some time to stock up to normal levels at dealers. He said that he has always maintained that Toyota can sell more trucks if they can increase the production levels in their factory.

The new 2016 Toyota Tacoma model has been redesigned with many innovations including new interiors, new sheetmetal and a new V6 engine. Despite these new additions, the price of the new 2016 model is nearly the same at the outgoing model. The 2016 Toyota Tacoma also has more off-road options as compared to the Colorado and Canyon. It also comes with optional manual transmission for both the V6 engine and the 4-cylinder entry level engine.

Toyota has added a third shift and increased the number of employees by 275 to increase production at its plant at San Antonio, Texas. This is done to meet increased demand for the mid-size truck, a dominant segment in the industry.