Oil prices fell ahead of the release of a US government report expected to show US crude and gasoline supplies rose last week.

Toyota is introducing cars that run on ethanol and gasoline in Brazil at a time when such flexible-fuel vehicles are growing in popularity there. Toyota's Brazil unit said in a release Wednesday it will start selling two new flex-fuel Corolla models that surpass the performance of the gas-fueled Corollas now on the market in the country.

Crude oil was little changed in New York after stalling near a three-week high last week on signs rising U.S. gasoline stockpiles may damp motor-fuel prices.

Oil prices rose slightly in Asian trading Thursday on continued concerns about gasoline supply - despite a U.S. government report that showed stockpiles of the fuel increased last week.

PetroChina, one of the two leading onshore oil producers in China, reported oil and gas production of 277 million tons of oil equivalent in the first quarter of the year, a growth of 3.7 percent, a company statement said today.