Toyota Motor Corp plans to manufacture about 100,000 hybrids a year in the United States and China to boost sales of the environmentally-friendly vehicles, Japanese business daily the Nikkei said.
Toyota has till now produced hybrids only in Japan, fearing that overseas production could lead to leaks of key technologies, the daily said.
The company is now exploring production in the US and China as high prices hinder the hybrids' success in the two largest auto markets, the Nikkei said.
Toyota plans to start manufacturing the Prius in the US around 2015, and plans to develop key components for the Prius in China, the business daily said.
The automaker is also exploring joint ventures to produce batteries in China, the Nikkei said.
