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Thursday, 22nd December 2011
In Business In Japan,
Toyota aims to reclaim crown with 20 per cent surge in sales
The Japanese car manufacturer Toyota Motor Corp has revealed that it expects to sell 20 per cent more vehicles in 2012 than it did this year.
If the company's predictions are accurate, some 8.48 million vehicles will be shipped next year, over one million more than the 7.05 million estimated to have been sold in 2011.
According to Bloomberg, this will be the biggest rise in sales the company has seen in at least 12 years.
Sales this year were interrupted by the March disasters which caused serious disruptions to the carmakers production line.
Toyota looks set to lose its ranking as the biggest car maker in the world this year as the American company General Motors moves into pole position, but the Japanese company believe that it will regain its market share next year as it bounces back from the effects of the earthquake and tsunami.
Satoru Takada, an analyst at the Tokyo-based firm T.I.W told Reuters he believes that Tokyo may take back its automobile industry crown in 2012.
"The reason they lost sales this year was because they could not build the cars. Now that they can, it is possible they will take back the top spot," he said.
However, the car company faces a tough test because of the stifling effects of the strong yen, while demand in the US and China may slow.
In a statement released today (December 22nd), the maker of the pioneering Prius hybrid vehicle said that it envisages global production rising almost a quarter (24 per cent) to reach 8.65 million units, with some 3.4 million of these set to be built in Japan, Bloomberg reported.
Meanwhile, the second biggest car company in Japan, Nissan, increased its profit forecast in November after demand in China rose and it got back on track following the interruptions caused by the tsunami and earthquake, the news agency reported.
Another Japanese company which has seen impressive sales figures this week is Sony, which saw more than 300,000 of its new PS Vitas bought by Japanese consumers during its first weekend on the market.
Written by Susan Ballion
Related news stories:
Applications for Tokyo Marathon 'up 68%' (25th September 2008)
Toyota enjoys strong global sales to remain largest auto maker (30th October 2012)
Toyota to enter Japan's small car market (29th September 2010)
Toyota comes under further recall criticism (21st May 2010)
Toyota shareholders sue troubled firm (22nd March 2010)
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