Toyota will build a new Suzuki car at the Burnaston plant

Toyota will start manufacturing hybrid cars for Suzuki in one of its factories in the UK, it was confirmed.

The Burnaston plant in Derbyshire is part of a global resource sharing agreement announced by automakers.

Based on the Corolla, the new car will have engines made in Wales and electrical components from Japan.

This will not lead to additional jobs or investment, but will make the plant more efficient, the firm said.

Toyota UK Managing Director Marvin Cooke said: "This is good news for our UK plants and a testament to Toyota's confidence in the ability of our people to deliver top quality products at the highest level. level.

"Seeking to produce additional volume for other customers is an example of all our efforts to make our UK manufacturing operations as competitive as possible."

The new model is expected to be manufactured by the end of 2020.

Earlier this month, Toyota's head of European operations, Johan van Zyl, said Brexit's "hurdles" could jeopardize future investments.

In February, Nissan overturned the decision to build a new car in the UK and Honda announced the closure of its Swindon plant, although both cited reasons other than Brexit.

Toyota started building cars in Burnaston in 1992 and recently spent £ 240 million upgrading the plant, which is now the Corolla model.

The company currently employs more than 3,200 people in the Derbyshire plant and Deeside in Wales.

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