Toyota to Builds 3rd Hybrid Battery Plant

TOKYO (AP) - Toyota says it's building a third plant in Japan to make batteries for eco-friendly hybrid cars.

The Japanese automaker has become the world leader in gas-electric hybrids with its popular Prius. More than a million of the high-mileage cars are on the road.

Sometime after 2010, it hopes to sell 1 million hybrids a year.

For that, it needs to boost battery production as Honda and other automakers aim to catch up with their new gas-and-electric hybrids -- a technology that is growing in appeal for the world's drivers as gas prices soar.