"Toyota Wednesday" continues with news that the Japanese firm has its sights set on being the first automaker to sell more than (assume Dr. Evil voice and pinkie to corner of mouth gesture at this time) 10 million units in a single year. They are in fact projecting 2009 sales at 10.4 million units. That's a lot of Toyotas. Last year they finished just behind GM with 8.8 mil. So where will they find the extra growth?
Toyota apparently thinks that worldwide sales should continue to increase with stronger demand in North America and emerging markets like China and India. Especially in the U.S. where fuel prices has risen sharply and plateaued, Toyota's lineup is becoming all about fuel economy. Toyota's fuel-efficient fleet has propelled it into a horse race with GM for world's biggest automaker. This new sales target should be officially announced Aug. 31 and will also include sales from Toyota's Hino and Daihatsu subsidiaries.
[Source: Automotive News, sub. req.]
