Toyota unveils big China plans

TOYOTA Motor Corp aims to boost sales by more than 50 percent in China this year from a year earlier.

As part of big-picture plans, it has added new products to attract more fuel-conscious Chinese customers.

The world's largest car maker, which just leapt over former leader General Motors Corp in the first quarter, expects to sell 450,000 units in China this year, the company said yesterday at an auto show in Changchun, in the country's northeast.

Toyota has joint ventures with both the Guangzhou Automobile Group and the First Automotive Works in passenger cars in China, manufacturing Vios, Reiz, Camry, Crown sedans, the Prius hybrid car and the latest Corolla sedan.

Toyota's sales in China still lag far behind rivals like GM and Volkswagen that made earlier starts in the nation.

Last year, Toyota sold a combined 308,000 vehicles in China, less than half that of GM and Volkswagen.

China only accounts for a small proportion of global achievement for the world's second-largest car maker, with an average 25 percent sales growth internationally.

Toyota is expanding its range of models, particularly those that are fuel-efficient.

Work began on a second plant in Guangzhou in June to meet rising demand.

The new plant, the seventh for Toyota in China, will boost total production capacity to more than 800,000 units when completed next year.