Toyota headed to record global sales despite sales plunge in China

TOKYO (AP) - Toyota is shrugging off a sales plunge in China set off by a territorial dispute and says it is headed to a record year on the back of strong growth in the rest of Asia and the United States.

Toyota Motor Corp Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo, who oversees the automaker's Asian operations, expressed confidence on Monday that overall global vehicle sales will hit a record, surpassing the record 9.37 million vehicles sold in 2007.

While he acknowledged achieving the company's target of 9.76 million vehicle sales this year will be harder because of the problems in China, he said growth in other parts of the world will offset the losses in China.

Violent protests and a call to boycott Japanese goods erupted recently in China after Tokyo nationalised tiny islands that are controlled by Japan but claimed by Beijing.