Toyota aims to sell 500 non-Lexus cars per month in S. Korea

GOYANG, South Korea, April 2 (Yonhap) -- Japan's Toyota Motor Co. said Thursday
it plans to sell 500 non-Lexus cars per month in South Korea as it prepares to
launch Toyota brand models here in the second-half of this year.
Toyota, which currently sells only Lexus brand models in South Korea, will begin
selling the Prius hybrid, the Camry mid-size sedan and the RAV4 sports-utility
vehicle to win more sales.
"Our target is to sell 500 units a month this year and 1,000 units a month next
year," Toyota Korea President Taizo Chigira told reporters on the sidelines of
the 2009 Seoul Motor Show.
The planned launch of the Toyota brand in South Korea, however, comes at an
unfortunate time. Japanese automakers here are grappling with a strong yen and
weak consumption as the country heads for its first recession in a decade,
analysts say.
Sales of Lexus in South Korea dropped 19.3 percent to 6,065 units last year,
according to a data by the Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors
Association.
The pace of decline in sales has accelerated this year. Lexus sales plunged 32.8
percent to 283 units in February.
(END)