SA Toyota to double output

Tokyo - Toyota Motor Corp, Japan's biggest carmaker, plans to nearly double production capacity at its plant in South Africa by 2007 as part of a strategy to expand overseas, a newspaper reported on Saturday.

The plant, operated by the subsidiary Toyota South Africa Motors, will raise its output capacity to 200 000 vehicles a year, from its current level of 110 000 vehicles, the Nihon Keizai newspaper said without citing a source.

By 2007, the plant is expected to be assembling up to 120 000 of Toyota's IMV series pickups and sport utility vehicles a year.

The vehicles will be exported to the European market, where Toyota's unit sales rose 10% to 916 000 vehicles last year, the newspaper said.

Toyota's European production jumped 47% to 583 000 vehicles last year, but the company is still anticipating a supply shortfall, according to the report.

The company's new plant in the Czech Republic opened this spring, and another in Russia is expected to come online in 2007.

A call to Toyota seeking comment went unanswered on Saturday.