Toyata's new strategy focuses on China

The risks of rapid expansion have led to Toyota Motor Corp. abandoning its goal of fighting for a 15 percent share of the global market and instead focusing on the products' quality and customers' demands, according to Akio Toyoda, the new Toyota president.

The Chinese auto market is included in the carmaker's global adjustment strategy since the company's sales in China were not satisfactory in the first half of 2009. Some 284,000 units of Toyota cars have been sold in China, almost at the same pace compared with last year, but lower than the average level of Chinese passenger vehicles which is up about 25.62 percent.

Lacking compact cars, Toyota hasn't benefited much from the related Chinese government preferential policies, Toyoda explained.

"China is becoming the most important overseas market for Toyota. If we cannot succeed here, there will be no tomorrow for us,"said one top official.

As the company's latest president, Toyoda chose China to be his first priority. The number of directors in the new board responsible for Chinese affairs is the largest in the carmaker's history. Toyota is also planning to build a research center in China's Jiangsu Province and a new limousine specially designed for Chinese customers.

Agencies and Wang Lei contributed to this story