TOYOTA was one of the sales successes of the past year in Europe.

The manufacturer sold a total of 755,633 vehicles in 2002, up from 666,035 units the previous year. It sold 21,156 Lexus models and 734,477 Toyotas.

For this year, the manufacturer has set itself a target of selling 790,000 Toyota and Lexus vehicles in Europe, or a 4.5% rise over 2002. Dr Takis Athanasopoulos, of Toyota Motor Marketing Europe, said: 'A key element toward reaching Toyota's challenging sales target in 2003 will be the all-new Toyota Avensis, on sale early this year, supported by our Toyota Yaris and Toyota Corolla core models.

'We will also continue to expand and develop our environmental technologies.'