TOYOTA has said it is looking to double production in China to around two million vehicles.

The company did not set a timescale for the increase but said it hoped to have 17 redesigned or new models on sale in China by the end of 2017.

Sales for 2014 are predicted to be up around 20% to 1.1 million.

The announcement by Toyota came after rivals Volkswagen and General Motors both promised to increase their presence in China during the annual Beijing autoshow.