TOKYO — Toyota Motor said Thursday that the slowdown in the United States economy would likely cause its first annual profit drop in nine years, accelerating a shift by it and other Asian car manufacturers into emerging markets like China, Latin America and the Middle East.

The shifting emphasis toward emerging markets is part of a broader trend in the industry, and underscores the declining stature of the United States in the global economy. Both Asian carmakers and American rivals like General Motors have seen a rising portion of sales in emerging markets that were not even a factor a decade ago.

... Despite the weaker outlook, Toyota showed it remains in an enviable position compared with Detroit’s ailing automakers. On Thursday, Toyota reported record earnings of 1.72 trillion yen in the fiscal year ended March 31, bolstered by robust sales of high-mileage autos like its Yaris subcompact and Prius hybrid. That was up 4.5 percent from the year before.