Toyota To Install Funky Widgetry In Chinese Toyotas

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Sounds great – you get the latest info on the most beautiful highway network in Asia (yes, we do mean China) and whats more you get to drive them in your swishy new Toyota.

TOYOTA Motor Corp, the world’s second-largest auto maker, will offer its in-car information system in China as it expands sales in the world’s second-biggest vehicle market, a senior Toyota official said yesterday.

“We want to offer the most advanced technology in China,” Executive Vice President Akio Toyoda said at a Tokyo press conference. “I am not aware of other companies offering such service in China.”

Toyota’s plan comes as the auto maker expects sales in China to surge by a third this year, to 400,000 vehicles, from 300,000 in 2006. Japanese auto makers are trying to take away customers in China from General Motors Corp and Volkswagen AG, reducing their reliance on the United States, their most profitable market, Bloomberg News said.

Toyoda declined to give details of the navigation system’s debut in China, including timing and sales targets.

In Japan, Toyota from May will offer an updated in-car navigation and Internet access system called G-Book mX to boost sales at home. Japan’s overall vehicle sales fell 12.6 percent in March, the 21st straight monthly decline, as Toyota’s domestic sales dropped 12 percent to 211,650 vehicles.