Back to Motoring news

Motoring news

Motoring news search

Search our archive of Motoring news.

		GO

Motoring news archive

Search our archive of Motoring
news by date.

2012

January
February
March
April
May

2011

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2010

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2009

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

2008

September
October
November
December

RSS feed

You can subscribe to receive the latest motoring news from Admiral with RSS.

	Motoring news RSS feed

Toyota's Auris Hybrid production begins in UK

29/06/2010

Production of the Toyota Auris Hybrid - the first mass-produced petrol-electric hybrid model to be built in Europe - has started at the company's Burnaston factory in Derby.

The official production launch came during a visit from Business Secretary Vince Cable, who heralded Toyota's decision to build the car in Britain as "a strong endorsement of the UK as a manufacturing base for the next generation of cars".

Burnaston will be the only plant in the world to produce the model, while Toyota's Deeside facility in north Wales is the only factory outside of Japan to produce the petrol engine of the Hybrid Synergy Drive.

The move to UK production should safeguard around 400 jobs split between the Burnaston and Deeside factories.

Mr Cable said that Toyota was "sending a signal to manufacturers that if you're not in the UK, then you're missing out on all the strengths and skills that the UK has to offer".

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the UK produces more than one million cars and commercial vehicles each year and employs over 180,000 people.

Katsunori Kojima, managing director of Toyota Manufacturing UK, said: "As a model sustainable plant for Toyota in Europe we will truly be an eco plant with eco-minded people building eco cars."

The Auris Hybrid is set to go on sale on Thursday, 1 July.

The investment furthers the ambitions of both the previous and present Government for the UK to be seen as a centre for low-carbon transport. It prefigures Nissan's plans to build its new five-seat electric car in Sunderland, where production is due to start in 2013.

Earlier this month Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed that the £20 million loan agreed by Labour would still be granted to Nissan.

Tweet