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Japanese automaker Toyota wants to recover its strong position on the Polish automotive market, reports Puls Biznesu.

It's been several years since the company held a dominating position in the Polish market. In fact, today the firm barely cracks the top five, with just 16,700 new Toyotas registered by Polish drivers between January and November 2011, a year-on-year drop of 20 percent. The total car market fell by 9 percent in the same time period. 



Still, Toyota executives plan to spend 2012 attracting new domestic business and emerging as a leader in 2013, at which point the company plans to release a new line of passenger cars.



“2013 will be a very important year for us. We want to bring Toyota cars back in the three best selling cars in our country. Despite strong competition it is really possible,” Jacek Pawlak, Toyota Motor Poland president, told the daily.

Toyota announced in December that Mr Pawlak would be returning to Toyota Motor Poland after holding senior managerial positions with Toyota Motor Europe, effective January 1, 2012. Mr Pawlak will become the first Pole ever to hold this position, reported automotive research institute Samar. Current president Tsutomu Otsubo will be appointed chairman and CEO.

The company said the new appointments are intended to help the Toyota and Lexus brands gain a stronger market position.



Poland A.M.