China's BYD sets 2010 car sales target at 700,000 units

SHENZHEN, July 27 (Reuters) - China's BYD Co Ltd (1211.HK), a battery maker that aspires to be a leading electric vehicle producer, has set its 2010 car sales target at 700,000 units, up 75 percent from its target for 2009, a senior executive said on Monday.

BYD, partly owned by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway (BRKa.N), sold 170,000 vehicles in 2008 and aims to sell 400,000 units in 2009.

"Exports will account for a minimal portion (of production) of several thousand to 10,000 units this year," said Henry Li, general manager of BYD's auto export trade arm.

"This is beacuse of the financial crisis overseas; we are focused on domestic growth," he told Reuters in an interview. (Reporting by James Pomfret and Joanne Chiu; Editing by Chris Lewis)