Japanese car maker Toyota has provided a welcome shot in the arm for UK car production with a ceremony to mark the beginning of production of the new Corolla in Derbyshire.
In a month when jobs at British plants were under threat at both Jaguar Land Rover and Ford, Toyota’s commitment to the UK will be welcomed by all.
The new hybrid Corolla will see hatchbacks and estates produced at the plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire and the first cars rolled off the production line on Monday witnessed by Toyota president Dr Johan van Zyl who said: “TMUK was our first major manufacturing enterprise in Europe and we have invested more than £2.75billion in its operations since the start of production in 1992.
“As part of our strategy to secure the competitiveness of our UK operations, we took the decision in 2017 to upgrade our Burnaston plant to manufacture cars based on the new TNGA platform.
“The highly qualified workforce at TMUK has a fine record of delivering superior quality products.
“Our continued investments, combined with the dedication of our members, will ensure that we can deliver ever better cars to our customers.
“The new Corolla will play a critical role in our market ambitions in Europe. It delivers the benefits of the new TNGA platform and increases the appeal of our industry leading self-charging hybrid electric technology.”
Toyota is hopeful that the new Corolla, which will produced exclusively in the UK for the European market, will contend with the VW Golf and the Ford Focus for the medium-size family car market.