Toyota to invest £240m in its UK factory

The Japanese carmaker Toyota is to invest £240m in its UK factory at Burnaston plant near Derby, which made 180, 000 vehicles last year, including the Auris and Avensis models. The factory employs about 2, 500 people, and another 590 at Toyota’s engine plant at Deeside, North Wales.

Johan Van Zyl, chief executive of Toyota Motor Europe, said the investment showed that the company was doing all it could to make Burnaston more competitive.

Investment commitments in the UK automobile sector amounted to £1.66bn last year down from £2.5bn previous year.

The UK government is providing £21.3m in funding for training, research and development and improving the Burnaston plant’s environmental performance.