Discussions on the future of Toyota’s Burnaston plant are set to begin at the end of this year, with the lack of battery plant investment in the UK highlighted as the biggest “challenge” that must be overcome as the firm weighs up switching it to EV production.
Outlining the timeline for discussions and the issues that must be addressed, Matt Harrison, chief operating officer at Toyota Motor Europe, said: “There are some challenges for the UK. Brexit less so: that adds one or two complications, but we think they can be overcome, although we need to study the rules of origin now in more detail. But the battery investments and where they're going in Europe is an issue.