Daihatsu's Asian expansion

Daihatsu's Asian expansion

TOKYO (AFP): Japan's Daihatsu Motor Co. Ltd. is set to boost
its annual auto output in Southeast Asia by 70 percent to meet
recovering demand in the region, a report said Friday.

The minicar maker, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp., plans
to expand production in Malaysia and Indonesia to produce some
83,000 units in the year to next March, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun
business daily said.

Daihatsu planned to hire 200 new workers at the Indonesian
plant, bringing the total workforce there to 1,200 for the
production of small recreational vehicles, the report said.

The firm planned to increase Indonesian production by 20
percent to some 6,000 units this year. Daihatsu had also upgraded
its production target at its Malaysian plant to 77,000 units for
the year, Nihon Keizai said.

Daihatsu could not be reached for comment.