The third generation Toyota Avensis, built only at Toyota Motor Manufacturing United Kingdom (TMUK) in Derbyshire, UK, is to be exported to Japan in estate (wagon) form, following the previous generation, shipped to Japan since autumn 2003, ‘home’.
The UK plant already ships the model line – sedans and wagons; the hatchback was dropped with the last redesign – to 47 countries worldwide, mostly in Europe, with the majority left hand drive.
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The news was welcomed by the UK coalition government as an endorsement of British manufacturing skills and quality.
Business secretary [minister] Vince Cable said: “Toyota exports 85% of the car and engines it makes at its UK plants in Burnaston and Deeside. Today’s news that it will now export its Avensis model to Japan is a tribute to the skills of the workforce, the efficiency of the plants and the quality of its products. I was delighted to meet Fujio Cho, chairman of Toyota, when I visited Japan recently and I highlighted the importance of manufacturing in the UK.”
TMUK managing director Katsunori Kojima said: “We are very proud that the Avensis has been selected for export to Japan. This is yet another vote of confidence for TMUK and the high quality of our products.”
Demand for European styling and engineering from its customers prompted Toyota’s decision to introduce Avensis to the Japanese domestic market, the automaker said. The estate versions shipped will have a two-litre petrol engine with ‘Multidrive S’ continuously variable transmission (CVT) at a rate of 750 vehicles per month with production commencing in July.
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By GlobalDataThe Toyota Avensis, a successor to the export Corona (Carina II in Europe) was introduced in 1997. By the end of 2010, over 1.8m units had been built for sale in the UK, Europe and other markets worldwide.
Together with Toyota’s European production centres, TMUK has succeeded in quickly returning to the production levels and operating hours that were in place prior to the north east Japan earthquake in March.
“The additional exports to Japan will reinforce its performance and its position as one of Toyota’s most efficient and advanced factories,” the automaker said.
The factory also builds the Auris (Corolla) hatchback and was the first car plant in Europe to mass produce a full hybrid model, an Auris variant.
To date, Toyota has invested over EUR2.08bn (GBP1.85bn) in its manufacturing operations in the UK, since it was established in 1992 to build the Carina II.
From the just-auto archives: JAPAN: First month sales of Euro Avensis exceed target
JAPAN: Toyota starts selling UK-built Avensis
