Tokyo - Toyota Motor Corp's operating loss for the fiscal year 2008 was to expand to 400 billion yen (4.44 billion dollars) from an earlier projection of a 150-billion-yen loss, media reports said Friday.

As Japan's leading automaker is suffering from declining demand and the yen's advance against other currencies, it was expected to incur the first-ever operating loss for the business year ending in March.

It was also expected to report the first net loss since 1963, when it started publishing net results, according to Japan's business daily The Nikkei.

Toyota revised downward its projections in November and December.

In December, the company's sales of new cars plunged 36.7 per cent in North America from a year before and 26.6 per cent in Europe.

Toyota was to announce its earnings projections and report results for the third quarter next week. (dpa)