Toyota plans to recall Prius hybrids in Japan this week

Toyota Motor Corp will recall its 2010 model Prius hybrid car in Japan this week to repair a problem with the vehicle's braking system, two sources familiar with the matter said, adding to global recalls of almost eight million autos for separate defects.

Toyota also plans to recall Lexus HS250h and Sai hybrid models in Japan this month, one of the sources said. The world's largest automaker plans to recall at least 270,000 of the gasoline-electric hatchbacks in Japan and the US, one source said, declining to be identified as the information isn't yet public. Juergen Stolze, a Toyota spokesman in Germany, said the car maker will decide whether to recall Prius cars in Europe by February 10. Toyota has recalled at least 7.8 million vehicles on five continents to repair defects that have been linked to unintended acceleration. Those recalls may cut demand for the company's vehicles by 100,000 units, Toyota has said.

A Prius recall may further tarnish Toyota's reputation after the Toyota City, Japan-based company lost about $33 billion (Dh121.11bn) in market value amid expanding global recalls of other models to repair defects linked to unintended acceleration. Those recalls have yet to include any vehicles in Japan, where the Prius was last year's top-selling model. "It's really shocking," said Koichi Ogawa, Chief Portfolio Manager at Daiwa SB Investments Ltd in Tokyo.

Keep up with the latest business news from the region with the Emirates Business 24|7 daily newsletter. To subscribe to the newsletter, please click here.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.