Toyota to build new Auris in the UK in Brexit boost for the UK car industry
Toyota has announced it will build its new generation Auris model at its Burnaston factory in Derbyshire.
The majority of the engines for the new model will be sourced from the firm’s Deeside factory in north Wales, which it said will secure 3,000 jobs across the two sites.
The government said the commitment was secured in part thanks to government investment of over £20m last year to support the installation of a new production platform in Burnaston, worth over £240m.
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Business Secretary Greg Clark said:
We have been clear in our commitment to ensuring the automotive sector continues to go from strength to strength which is why, through the industrial strategy, we established a landmark automotive sector deal that will see us working with industry to put the UK at the forefront of new technologies and future investment decisions.
Toyota’s decision to build its new Auris model in Burnaston is testament to the highly-skilled and committed workforce that helps make the UK’s automotive sector one of the most productive in the world, and this government will continue work to create the best possible environment to maintain this fruitful relationship.
Dr Johan van Zyl, TME president and chief executive, said: “As a company, we are doing what we can to secure the competitiveness of our UK operations as a leading manufacturing centre for our European business. With around 85 per cent of our UK vehicle production exported to European markets, continued free and frictionless trade between the UK and Europe will be vital for future success.”
Secretary of state for Wales, Alun Cairns, said Toyota’s commitment to the UK was “an enormous economic boost” for Deeside and Wales as a whole.
The car giant had produced 4m vehicles and 5m engines across the plants over the past 25 years, and the decision comes despite warnings from the UK car industry over the potential impact of Brexit on manufacturers and concerns over tariffs.
The decision announced today comes after Nissan confirmed it will make new models in Sunderland.
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