Toyota raises US model prices due strong yen

Toyota Motor Corp's US sales arm said it will raise retail prices for its models sold in the US market to counter Japanese yen gains on the US dollar.

The price rises will be placed on cars that arrive from Japan in May, or are made in North America that month, Toyota said.

The price rises are not related to recent supply and production disruptions caused by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, said Bill Kwong, a spokesman for Toyota's Lexus brand.

The average price rise for all three brands Toyota sells in the US market is 1.7%, the company said, and range from 1.2% to 2.2%.

The world's biggest automaker by number of vehicles sold sells its main Toyota brand, the youth-oriented Scion brand and the luxury Lexus brand in the US market.

Kwong said the company has not decided if it will have to adjust prices due to the impact of the current crisis in Japan that began with the earthquake on March 11.