Toyota's top U.S. executive will meet with the Obama administration's auto industry task force next week, but won't be asking for any help, the Japanese automaker said Thursday.
Toyota Motor Sales USA President Jim Lentz will visit the White House next week to talk, not to make any requests, said Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman Ririko Takeuchi.
"It is simply a meeting to exchange views," she said, declining to give more details.
Like other automakers, Toyota has seen its U.S. sales battered by the economic slump and credit crunch, with a 40 percent decline in February from the previous year.
Toyota's financing unit, which does most of its business in the U.S., is in talks with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, a Japanese government-backed bank, on a possible loan.
Toyota, which makes the Camry sedan and the Prius hybrid, is expecting a 350 billion yen ($3.5 billion) loss for the fiscal year through March _ its first annual net loss since 1950.
President Barack Obama's auto task force has been trying to restructure General Motors Corp. and Chrysler by a March 31 deadline. If the Obama administration fails to approve their turnaround plans, earlier loans could be called back and the companies could be forced into bankruptcy.
GM and Chrysler have received $17.4 billion in loans and are seeking an additional $21.6 billion in aid.
The White House panel has been meeting with automakers, dealers, politicians and others in the auto industry.
