The targeted volume compares to last year's sales of about 130,000 vehicles, an increase of about 19 percent from 2016.

The Lexus insiders, who asked not to be identified because they are not authorized to speak with reporters, said the goal to boost sales to 160,000 vehicles was an internal objective, rather than a publicly stated one.

"We are treating this as a 'must-achieve' goal, and we have described it internally as such," one of them said.

A Toyota spokesman in Beijing declined to comment.

Copyright Reuters, 2018