In an effort to meet the increasing demand for product in North America and especially China, Toyota will increase their production levels by 40 percent over 2005 levels. According to Nihon Keizai Shimbun, a business daily in Japan, Toyota expects overseas output to exceed domestic production by 2009, even as output from their home country is set to increase by 9.5 percent by 2008.
Interestingly, the Japanese Automobile Manufactures Association announced that in March of this year, Japanese automakers as a whole eclipsed their own domestic output for the first time.
Although this increase in production portends good things for Toyota’s future, their disturbing track record of recalls as of late may continue to be an issue if quality control doesn’t keep up with their production numbers. [The Auto Channel]