Toyota to produce 8.9 million units in 2012

Toyota Motor Corp.’s global vehicle output target for 2012 is 8.9 million units. The goal is about 25% higher than what was planned for 2011. It exceeds the 2007 record of 8.53 million units. Following several setbacks, the Japanese automaker plans to aggressively launch a sales initiative. The company has plans to produce about 5.4 million units overseas and another 3.5 million in Japan. There are also plans to build new plants in China and Brazil, which have growing auto markets. In Japan, Toyota will begin production of a new compact hybrid model which will be exported to North America and Europe. To stimulate demand and increase output, a plug-in hybrid vehicle and an electric vehicle will be launched in 2012. (August 3, 2011)