Toyota aims to sell 36,000 Sai hybrid sedans a year

TOKYO, Oct 20 - Toyota Motor Corp said on Tuesday it aims to sell 36,000 units a year of its new hybrid car in Japan, taking another step towards its goal of selling 1 million hybrid vehicles annually worldwide soon after 2010.

The Sai sedan is the second hybrid-only model under the Toyota brand after the Prius, and is a repackaged version of the Lexus HS250h, which went on sale in June.

The Sai, which will go on sale on Dec. 7, starts at 3.38 million yen ($37,290), compared with the HS250h's starting price of 3.96 million yen.

Toyota, the world's biggest automaker, is miles ahead of competitors in the fast-growing hybrid field, which has enjoyed tailwinds especially in Japan thanks to generous subsidies and reduced taxes on cleaner cars.

The Sai has a listed mileage of 23 km/litre (54 mpg), or twice that of a comparable gasoline car, chief engineer Shigeru Nakagawa told a news conference.

Toyota said it had no plans to export the Sai, which will be built by unit Toyota Motor Kyushu in southern Japan.