Toyota Motor said Friday it was abandoning a plant in California that it jointly owned with ailing US giant General Motors, marking the first time it has pulled the plug on a factory.

The move, which means the plant is likely to be closed, follows GM's decision in June to drop its ownership stake in the joint venture, New United Motor Manufacturing Inc., as it restructured under bankruptcy protection.

Toyota has never been involved in closing an assembly plant anywhere in the world, so it would be a first for the world's largest automaker.

The plant in Fremont, California, produces cars such as the Corolla compact car and the Tacoma pick-up truck and employs 4,700 workers, Toyota said.

It will shift production of Tacoma pick-ups to a manufacturing facility in San Antonio, Texas while Corollas will be manufactured in Canada and Japan for the North American market.

"After the decision by General Motors to withdraw from the NUMMI joint venture, Toyota conducted a thorough review of its alternatives in light of current and anticipated market conditions," Toyota's North American head Atsushi Niimi said in a statement.

"We have determined that over the mid- to long-term, it just would not be economically viable to continue the production contract with NUMMI. This is most unfortunate, and we deeply regret having to take this action."

"We remain strongly committed to maintaining a substantial production presence in the USA and North America," Niimi added. "To that end, we will consider moving additional Corolla production back to North America over time."

Toyota, which overtook US rival GM in 2008 as the world's largest automaker, is struggling to cut costs after falling into the red for the first time, with a 436.9 billion yen (4.7 billion dollar) loss in the year to March.

The Nikkei business daily reported on Wednesday that Toyota plans to cut its global production capacity by one million vehicles, or 10 percent.

Toyota actively expanded its global production facilities in recent years to meet brisk demand, particularly for its fuel-efficient cars, leaving it vulnerable to the current collapse in worldwide sales.

The Japanese company has idled plants and slashed thousands of temporary jobs in response to its biggest ever crisis.