From Reuters (link)
Toyota’s first Chinese-built Camry sedan rolled off assembly lines on Tuesday, a U.S. success story that the company hopes will spearhead a drive into an affluent middle-class market.
The Camry also marks a milestone in China in terms of volume growth for Toyota, putting the relative latecomer on an even footing with Japanese rivals from Honda Motor to Nissan.
“We have come to the same level as Nissan and Honda…in terms of volume, quality and overall performance,” Yoshimi Inaba, Toyota’s executive vice president in charge of China operations, told reporters in Tokyo last week.
Also see “Toyota Looks to Overtake GM in China” from the Washington Post (link)
Toyota, on course to overtake General Motors as the world’s biggest automaker, is well behind in the world’s fastest-growing market and one where GM is thriving: China.
But on Tuesday, Toyota hopes to take a key step toward catching up when it rolls out its first made-in-China Camry, the best-selling model in the United States.
