Automakers plan to expand focus on hybrid vehicles

Japan’s top carmaker Toyota Motor Corp will double its production of hybrid vehicles next year to meet high demand in North America, a newspaper report said yesterday.

Toyota will boost its annual production of hybrid vehicles such as Prius, Harrier and Kluger to 500,000 units by increasing output in southern Japan’s Fukuoka prefecture and other places, the Asahi Shimbun said.