Toyota Motor Corp said yesterday it has raised its 2007 sales projection for China on solid sales of small cars and it aims to sell even more vehicles in the country next year.

Toyota, which appears to be on track to beat General Motors Corp as the world's top auto maker, raised its 2007 China sales estimate to 480,000 cars from 430,000 due to the popularity of its Vios small car and the newly introduced Camry, Toyota spokesman Naoki Oku said.

The company sold 308,000 cars in China in 2006. In 2008, Toyota aims to boost sales in the world's second biggest auto market after the United States to 700,000 vehicles, or 46 percent higher than the expected sales for this year, Oku said. The rise expected next year is partly because the firm will begin production of the Yaris compact at a local plant, he said.

(Shanghai Daily November 22, 2007)