Toyota mulls new assembly plant in China - paper

TOKYO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T) is considering setting up its eighth assembly plant in China which would boost the automaker's annual output in the country to 1 million cars, the Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday.

Production at the plant, to be built by a joint venture with Chinese automaker FAW Group Corp, in Changchun, Jilin province, is expected to start as soon as the early 2010s, the newspaper said, without citing sources.

The Corolla sedan was among the models being considered for production, the Nikkei added.

No details were available on output, but the plant, along with another factory in Guangzhou due to start production in 2009, would increase Toyota's overall output in China to 1 million vehicles per year, the newspaper said.

Toyota sold 499,000 vehicles in China last year and the company said in November that it aimed to sell 700,000 this year. (Reporting by Chisa Fujioka; Editing by Jan Dahinten)