Media reports in Turkey said Toyota will produce its latest generation Corolla saloon car at its plant in the country.
The state-run Anatolian news agency said the plan was disclosed by the chairman of one of Toyota’s partners in Turkey, Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ), during a meeting with Turkey’s industry and trade minister, Nihat Ergun, in the Saudi city of Jeddah on Saturday.
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ALJ’s chairman, Mohammed Jameel, said his company, which is based in Saudi, had been pressing Toyota to increase production in Turkey with the aim of making it a regional production hub.
The Japanese carmaker produces the Auris [the and the multi-purpose Corolla Verso vehicles the plant in Sakarya, east of Istanbul, which has a production capacity of 150,000 vehicles a year.
ALJ acquired a 65% stake in ToyotaSA from Sabanci Holdings in 2009. Toyota Motor Europe and Mitsui are the other partners.
A Toyota Motor Europe spokeswoman confirmed the plant’s current production models and that it had built previous generation Corolla sedans. An estate car/station wagon has also been built in the country in the past
