Japan's top automaker Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) will upgrade engine assembly lines worldwide to cut output cost and make even the smaller assembling units profitable, the Nikkei business daily reported.
Toyota has spent about 20-30 billion yen on current assembly lines with production capacity of at least 200,000 units till date, the report said.
New assembly lines that have a production capacity of 100,000 units may have apparently come up at an investment of 10-15 billion yen, the Nikkei said.
The automaker plans to double its hybrid offerings by launching 11 models in Japan by the end of 2012, the Nikkei reported.
By the end of the year, some of the lines at the auto giant's Shimoyama plant will be upgraded and brought onstream, according to the daily.
In China, India and Brazil, deploying conventional assembly lines that require massive investments have become a major issue as it increases fixed costs for lifting production capacity, the Nikkei said.
The company hopes to check depreciation cost increases by installing new engine assembly lines gradually, the report said.
