Toyota is moving a portion of its GR Corolla sportscar production from Japan to its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire to meet strong demand from North America and reduce delivery times.
The company is investing approximately ¥8 billion (£41 million) to set up a dedicated production line at the UK facility, with plans to manufacture 10,000 units annually for export. Shipments to North America are expected to begin in mid-2026.
The Burnaston site, which already produces the standard Corolla hatchback, will absorb some of the output from Toyota’s Motomachi plant in Japan, currently at full capacity. Last year, 8,000 GR Corollas were produced out of a total of 25,000 vehicles on that line.
The production shift aligns with a recent UK-US agreement that reduces tariffs on British car exports to the US from 25% to 10% on up to 100,000 vehicles per year, providing a more favourable trade environment for manufacturers like Toyota.
Japanese engineers will temporarily assist in setting up operations in Burnaston, which began operations in 1992. The move comes as a boost to the UK’s automotive sector, which has faced setbacks from other manufacturers scaling back investment or closing facilities.
