Toyota expands car capacity in China

Sichuan FAW Toyota Motor Co, the joint venture auto firm set up in 2005 between the Japanese auto giant and China FAW Group, held a ceremony in Chengdu City in southern China’s Sichuan province in early July to mark the start of an expansion project. The partners are moving their car plant to another part of Chengdu and, in the process, will lift capacity to 30,000 units per year by the first half of 2010 from the current 13,000 units, according to Toyota. In May, Tianjin FAW Toyota Motor in northern China announced similar plans to boost capacity to 150,000 units per year by the end of 2009 from the current 100,000. Subsequently, Guangzhou Toyota Motor Co. in southern China’s Guangdong province has launched an expansion to 320,000 units per year by mid-2009 from 200,000 per year presently. (July 9, 2008)