TOYOTA AIMS TO SELL 10.4 MILLION VEHICLES IN 2009

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp <7203.T> aims to sell around 10.4 million vehicles worldwide in 2009, up 18 percent from last year as it grabs market share in North America and taps growing demand in China and other emerging economies, business daily Nikkei reported on Wednesday.

Clearing the 10 million milestone would be an auto industry first and likely cement Toyota's position as the world's biggest car maker. Toyota surpassed General Motors Corp to take the top spot in 2006, according to Automotive News.

"It is incrementally good news," said CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets auto analyst Christopher Richter, who estimates Toyota's sales for 2009 at 10.2 million units. "They continue to win share in the U.S. market and that's more than made up for what the direction of the market has taken of late," he added.