Toyota China's sales target for 2015 remains unchanged

Gasgoo.com (Shanghai October 14) - In a press conference on Thursday, Toyota China Executive Vice President Dong Changzheng denied claims that rapidly declining sales will affect its overall development strategy for the country, the Beijing Times reported. Mr. Dong stated that Toyota's global sales target for 2015 will remain fixed at nine million units, with 15 percent of that volume, 1.35 million units, coming from the Chinese market.Commenting on recent production cuts of Toyota vehicles, Mr. Dong said that the decision was made to control inventory levels, and will not affect the manufacturer's long-term plans. The decision to reduce Lexus imports was made for the same reason, he said. Mr. Dong's comments echo those of Toyota China Public Relations Director Liu Peng, who maintained that "China is still a very important market for Toyota."

Mr. Dong added that the manufacturer's decision to stop selling of pure electrics was also due to an internal marketing decision, and had nothing to do with decreasing sales.

Toyota's sales in China fell 49 percent last month, with less than 50,000 units sold. It is not alone, with several other Japanese manufacturers, including Nissan, Honda and Mitsubishi reporting declines in their sales. Decreasing sales has been attributed to increasing anti-Japanese sentiment in China, spurred by recent territorial disputes between the two countries.