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FRANKFURT: Toyota the world's largest car maker, expects to see a decline in German car sales this year and said it will be tough to reach its mid-term targets in the country, a German daily reported.

The German car association VDA forecast new car registration for 2008 to be flat at 3.2 million, but Toyota's head of Germany, Alain Uyttenhoven told Handelsblatt in story to be published on Wednesday he was less optimistic. "By now, I believe 3.1 million (new registrations) in Germany to be more realistic," Uyttenhoven said.

"A lot will depend on how the month of September develops. But there are no signs so far that there will be a positive turnaround," he added. Uyttenhoven said Toyota was sticking to its target of reaching a 5 percent market share in Germany by 2010.

"The goal of selling 200,000 cars by 2012 seems unrealistic at the time being," he said. Uyttenhoven also said it would be difficult for the Japanese carmaker to post a profit this year in Germany due to the weakness in the market. "It could be difficult to be in the black this year," he said.