Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America has announced that it reached record levels of production during 2005.

Revealing an eight per cent increase in vehicle production, the company stated that it produced over 1.55 million units over the course of 2005, as well as nearly 1.3 million engines in North America.

The figures help to underline expectations that the firm will overtake its US rival General Motors (GM) over the coming 12 months to become the world's largest car producer.

Toyota is planning to further up its output in 2006, as the company also announced that its v8 engine production plant will be expanded to increase production in the latter part of the year.

It is also planning to begin production of the Camry hybrid, which will be Toyota's first hybrid vehicle to be produced in North America and comes following the massive success in the US market of its Prius hybrid model.

Production on the Camry and the hybrid version will begin later this year, Toyota stated.


Ÿ Adfero Ltd