Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it will build a new plant in Malaysia to meet the future domestic vehicle demand expected to increase in line with the country’s economic growth.

Toyota plans to start operations at the new plant in early 2019, with its annual production capacity expected to be 50,000 units, the company said.

In the Southeast Asian country, the Japanese auto giant has been producing cars including the subcompact sedan Vios and pickup trucks under UMW Toyota Motor Sdn. Bhd., a joint venture with Malaysia-based United Motor Works.

Toyota froze new plant construction after plunging deep into the red amid the 2008 financial crisis.

But the company has recently gone on the front foot in its overseas production strategy, as exemplified by plans to build new plants in Guangzhou, China, in 2017 and in Mexico in 2019.

Malaysian automaker Perodua enjoys strong popularity and is market leader on the strength of its minicar models, based on Daihatsu Motor Co. platforms, which is a subsidiary of Toyota.