New vehicles will be produced at car manufacturer’s Burnaston plant in Derbyshire
The development of the hybrid cars will help secure Toyota’s workforce in UK of more than 3,000.
Photograph: Pierre Albouy/Reuters
Toyota is to build a new hybrid electric vehicle in the UK for Suzuki, in a boost to British car industry workers amid continued Brexit uncertainty.
The hybrid will be based on Toyota’s Corolla model and made at its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire, with engines supplied by the company’s Deeside factory in north Wales.
It is not thought this development will lead to the creation of new jobs as it will be within Toyota’s existing production capacity. However, it will help secure the future of the UK workforce of more than 3,000.
The announcement on Wednesday comes amid fears for the future of Toyota’s UK operations, following decisions by fellow Japanese carmakers Nissan and Honda to shift production from the UK amid uncertainty over the future of the British car industry.
Johan van Zyl, Toyota’s European chief executive, warned this month that he could not guarantee that British jobs were safe until the outcome of Brexit was decided.
“This is good news for our UK plants,” said Marvin Cooke, the managing director of Toyota Manufacturing UK.
“Seeking to produce additional volume for other customers is one example of all the efforts we are making to keep our UK manufacturing operations as competitive as they can be,” he said. “We have consistently said for the medium to longer term, continued free and frictionless trade and common automotive technical standards will be essential to support the international competitiveness of the UK automotive sector.”
The new Suzuki model forms part of a global partnership with Toyota to produce hybrid and electric vehicles.
Toyota will produce hybrids in Europe, based on its Corolla and RAV4 SUV crossover for Suzuki, while Suzuki will supply Toyota with petrol engines for compact vehicle models sold in the region.
The agreement follows an initial R&D tie-up announced by Japan’s No 1 and No 4 carmakers in 2017, and will see more Toyota vehicles produced by Suzuki.
Though Suzuki is far smaller, it is a dominant force in the fast-growing Indian market. Further cooperation with Suzuki will help Toyota expand its presence in India, the world’s fifth-largest passenger car market, where it has struggled to increase sales due to poor demand for its lower-cost models.
The two carmakers have been pooling their strengths. Toyota is a leader in hybrid technology and is investing heavily in automated driving, while Suzuki specialises in affordable compact cars. Many manufacturers have struggled to keep pace with ballooning investment in electric vehicles and self-driving cars.