Toyota to close 300 dealers in Japan over 3 years+

NAGOYA, Nov. 10 Kyodo -
Toyota Motor Corp. plans to close some 300 dealer outlets across Japan over
around the next three years amid a shrinking domestic market, sources familiar
with the matter said Tuesday.

Toyota plans to support voluntary efforts of about 290 sales companies to
consolidate or close their outlets, which currently total about 4,900
nationwide, the sources said.
The sales companies will choose which outlets to consolidate or close by
judging from sales and demand situations in areas where they operate, they
said.
Toyota, however, does not plan to automatically close outlets in sparsely
populated areas where demand is weak in view of dealer outlets' social
functions to provide vehicle repairs and maintenance, they said.
Toyota currently has four dealer channels, including Netz and Toyopet.
In 2008, vehicle sales in Japan totaled about 3.21 million units, down from
about 6 million in 1990, as sales slumped partly due to a declining population
and dwindling interest in cars among the young generation.
Toyota has a market share of over 40 percent in Japan.
==Kyodo