Secret Document Leaked: Toyota Plans to be Number by 2010

A leaked copy of Toyota Motor Corp.’s global master plan calls for grabbing 14% of the world car market by 2010 as the company moves toward unseating rival General Motors Corp. as the world’s biggest automaker, a newspaper said today.

Toyota declined to comment on the report in the Asian Wall Street Journal, but confirmed that the world’s No. 2 automaker is betting on surging demand in places like China and India to fuel rapid expansion.

Toyota, on pace to end GM’s half-century reign as the world s biggest carmaker, has mapped out plans to capture 15% of the global market in the next three years, up from 11% in 2005, the newspaper reported, citing a confidential document it said was circulated to top Toyota executives earlier this year.

The plan predicts global auto sales to jump to 73 million vehicles in 2010 from 65 million in 2005, the newspaper said, adding that Toyota will likely boost production in India and China to meet demand. The company is already working on a new compact specially geared toward developing countries, where car ownership is on the rise but family budgets are still small, the report said.



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99gs400 - 11/13/2006 11:41:56 AM

+3 Boost

Toyota = car god
( on my hands and knees )

99gs400 - 11/13/2006 11:43:37 AM

+3 Boost

God bless America and Toyota.

SilverGS430 - 11/13/2006 11:51:40 AM

+4 Boost

I believe the "smartest" auto manufacturer is indeed Toyota. Look at what they have done so far... with Scion, Toyota, and Lexus products. They continue to top the charts for reliability and sales numbers. No doubt they will surpass GM in the very near future the #1 spot. And the service department at ANY Lexus dealership is unprecedented. Simply amazing. I too, bow down to Toyota...

skoobyfl - 11/13/2006 11:59:54 AM

-3 Boost

I have a gs450h & they treat you great at the dealership but the car is not exciting to drive, it's rather boring actually.

Agent009 - 11/13/2006 12:36:36 PM

+3 Boost

The stealership experience is very important to Lexus. No matter what you do, a car will eventually make it to the stealership. If you make it as painless as possible, then those visits will greatly enhance the ownership experience.

SilverGS430 - 11/13/2006 12:50:48 PM

+1 Boost

skoobyfl - I agree with you to a certain extent... I have a GS430 which I love, and I did drive the GS450h, and my main complaint against the 450h was the engine noise due to the CVT and the fact that the car actually felt heavier (quite possibly due to the extensive weight gain from the batteries in the trunk)... also trunk space was greatly compromised for those batteries... otherwise it's a great car... but I still love my GS430 ;)

SilverGS430 - 11/13/2006 12:54:16 PM

+2 Boost

but I also must say that WOW acceleration torque either from a stop to full go and also on the highway from 55-100mph is breath-taking and neck-snapping... more so than my GS430 for sure...

SilverGS430 - 11/14/2006 9:13:52 AM

+2 Boost

RICEMASTER - GM is number 1 simply because they have SOOOOO many worldwide products and various brands... I guess you could compare them to an umbrella, with multiple people underneath it trying to shelter themselves from the rain... now, granted not all their products are fault-proof, they still have a lot of products out there... this is why they are #1... Toyota, in comparison, only has 3 products (Scion, Toyota, and Lexus) but dominate the market with sales and reliability - and Lexus customer service. Hope this helps explain it to you.