Toyota Motor Corp. has no plans to change its current output or sales schedule for either the North American or domestic markets, despite fears surrounding the possible impact of the Sept. 11 terrorist attack on the global auto market, President Fujio Cho said Thursday.
Speaking at a news conference, Cho said that the company's U.S. sales for September are likely to decline by around 7 percent from a year earlier.
"But observing our daily business condition, we are gradually getting positive response from the market," Cho said. "I get the impression that our sales will return (to a normal level) rather than keep declining."
According to Toyota Vice President Yoshio Uesaka, the firm lagged behind its original production plan for September by 3,500 units. This was primarily due to the temporary closure of production lines at Toyota's three U.S. plants in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.
Uesaka said the firm will try to make up this ground.
At the same news conference, Toyota also introduced its remodeled 2.4-liter Camry sedan, which features improved fuel efficiency, lower gas emissions, and various safety devices.
The latest Camry is priced between 2.25 million yen and 2.9 million yen.
Toyota is planning to generate monthly sales of 1,500 units in the domestic market.
The automaker said the Camry is its second-largest globally marketed model after the Corolla. It is targeting annual sales of 600,000 units in more than 100 markets across the globe.
Some 70 percent of Camry sales are made in the U.S., with the latest model having already been marketed there since August, Toyota said.