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TOKYO, March 23 — Toyota Motor Corp has lifted its global production plans by 1 pe rcent to 7.57 million vehicles for 2010, anticipating better demand in Japan and other Asian markets, a source at a group company said today.

The world’s biggest automaker had told its suppliers in December that it planned to produce 7.49 million vehicles in the 2010 calendar year, but will notify them of the latest revision later today, the source told Reuters, declining to be identified because Toyota does not make those plans public.

Fuelled by subsidy-led demand for fuel-efficient cars in Japan, Toyota lifted its domestic production plan by 40,000 units, the source said.

In North America, its biggest market, a recall-driven production and sales suspension prompted Toyota to lower plans by 60,000 units, but that would be more than offset by an upward revision of 100,000 units in non-Japan markets, the person said.

The new output figure, which excludes minivehicle unit Daihatsu Motor Co and truck maker Hino Motors Ltd, would represent a 19 per cent jump from 2009.

Toyota, like the rest of the industry, is counting on double-digit sales rises in China and India to make up for an expected fall in European car demand after government subsidies run out. — Reuters