The many disruptions in production following the March earthquake in Japan and October’s Thai floods seriously hurt Toyota’s profitability and production capability. Total sales for 2011 (excluding Daihatsu and Hino) are expected to reach 7.05 million units, which puts Toyota in third place overall behind General Motors and VW.
Japan’s number one car manufacturer, though, is readying a comeback to reclaim the throne it held since 2008 as soon as possible – which means, next year.
The automaker announced today that it is building up its inventory and increasing production capacity at its Chinese and Brazilian plants to meet demand.
The target Toyota has set for 2012 is a 24 percent increase to 8.48 million sales. If the goal is accomplished, it will beat the firm’s previous record in 2007 when it recorded 8.43 million sales. The company’s plans for 2013 are even more ambitious, as the total projection rises to 8.95 million units.
However, not everyone is so sure that Toyota’s targets are realistic. “The sales forecast is much higher than I expected, and to be honest, I doubt they can achieve the target”, Kohei Takahashi, a JP Morgan Chase Tokyo-based analyst, told Bloomberg News. “The yen has gotten much stronger and they won’t be able to make any profit exporting cars.”
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