Toyota eyes sales of 8.3m vehicles

• Source: Shanghai Daily
• [09:00 January 27 2010]
• Comments

Toyota said yesterday it plans to sell 8.27 million vehicles worldwide this year, up 6 percent from 2009, showing the world's No. 1 auto maker is optimistic about recovery after being battered by the global slowdown.

Toyota Motor Corp - which makes the Prius hybrid, Lexus luxury model and Camry sedan - sold 7.81 million vehicles globally in 2009, down 13 percent from the previous year. The number includes group companies Daihatsu Motor Co, which makes small models, and truck maker Hino Motors.

Toyota had appeared almost unstoppable until the financial crisis of late 2008 struck, sending auto demand in the United States and other parts of the world crashing.

It sold 8.972 million vehicles globally in 2008, and expectations were high it would top 10 million in coming years.

In 2010, sales in Japan are expected to grow 7 percent to 2.13 million vehicles, while overseas sales were expected to grow 6 percent to 6.14 million, according to Toyota.

Toyota's president normally holds an annual news conferences to announce the sales targets. But the announcement this year came in a release.

Toyota President Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the company's founder, who took office last year, has been playing down growth ambitions, making comments that stress the crisis the firm faces and its need to return to basics to make appealing cars.

The auto maker has also suffered a huge blow to its image in announcing two massive recalls within the space of two months in the US to fix accelerator pedals that get stuck.

Last week, Toyota said it was recalling 2.3 million vehicles in the US.

In November, it had recalled 4.2 million vehicles due to gas pedals that could become trapped under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration.