UPDATE 2-Toyota profit seen beating company estimate -paper

(Recasts, adds analyst comments)

TOKYO, April 20 (Reuters) - Toyota Motor Corp. (7203.T) is likely to book a 20 percent rise in operating profit and beat its own estimate for the past business year on brisk sales in North America, the Nikkei business daily said on Friday.

Japan's biggest auto maker is set to book an operating profit of 2.25 trillion yen ($19 billion) for the year ended in March, more than the company's projection of 2.2 trillion yen.

However, it falls short of a consensus of 2.3 trillion yen from 22 analysts polled by Reuters Estimates.

While a robust sales performance ensured strong growth, rising costs of raw materials such as steel and copper ate into some potential gains, the newspaper said. Deutsche Securities analyst Tsuyoshi Mochimaru said while the number reported by the Nikkei was lower than his projection, it was a plausible figure.

"Material costs rose more than expected and we think Toyota also faced additional serious negatives, including an increase in start-up costs at the new U.S. plant that came on line last autumn, and sluggish new car sales in Japan," he wrote in a note to clients.

Helped by a steady stream of new or refreshed products such as the RAV4 crossover and Lexus LS and Camry sedans, Toyota is storming the U.S. market, the world's biggest, winning sales from General Motors Corp. (GM.N) and Ford Motor Co. (F.N), both of which are undergoing painful restructurings.

Sales rose by about 10 percent to almost 24 trillion yen for the year ended in March, the paper said.

That compares with the company's forecast of 23.2 trillion yen.

Toyota declined to comment on the report. It will report earnings on May 9.

Shares in the auto maker ended the morning session up 0.8 percent at 7,350 yen, in line with the auto subindex .ITEQP.T.

((Reporting by Edwina Gibbs, editing by Mike Miller; Reuters messaging: edwina.gibbs.reuters.com@reuters.net; email edwina.gibbs.@reuters.com; +81 3 3432-8720))

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