Toyota sales leave traditional rivals in the slow lane

However TMP president Hiroshi Kono admitted that this was a one time event thanks to sales of 2004 models. Kono said results for February are unlikely to be as strong. "I do not expect to end this year on the number one spot. The most important task for us is to maintain the 10% share of the market," Kono said adding that the company forecasts that Poles will purchase 300,000 new cars this year. According to Kono, the Polish market will sooner or later reach its natural level of one million cars sold annually, and that is what TMP has to be prepared for as it plans to be selling 100,000 cars at that point of time. Last year Toyota came out third in the sales ranking, after Fiat and Skoda. The Japanese concern sold 33,500 cars, up by 6.6% as compared to 2003. (Puls Biznesu, pp. 1, 8) A.K.