Toyota expects its China sales to jump by a third in 2007, aiming for 400,000 vehicles after delivering roughly 300,000 this year, executive vice president Yoshimi Inaba announced at the Auto China 2006 exhibition in Beijing. The figure represents more than double the 183,000 units the automaker sold in China in 2005.
The redesigned Corolla, produced in Tianjin, is central to that growth plan. The model is set to go on sale in China from mid-2007 and has been repositioned as a compact luxury sedan.
Company officials also addressed hybrids, describing them as a medium-term answer to China's emission concerns. Toyota has been selling between 100 and 125 Prius units per month in China since early 2006, though its Guangzhou plant can produce around 300 per month. The Prius carries a price tag of roughly 37,000 dollars, a steep premium over domestic compact cars that can cost as little as 4,000 dollars.
China sales vice president Edward Ohlin cited cultural preferences for large, status-oriented vehicles and consumer anxiety about battery range as barriers to broader hybrid adoption. He also noted that the absence of low-sulphur diesel fuel is part of what makes hybrids relevant in China for now, though a shift in domestic fuel production could alter the market.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2006, in its own words.