Toyota wants more clarity before committing to UK

Toyota said it needs clarity on the terms of Britain’s access to EU markets after Brexit to secure production at its Burnaston plant in central England.

Toyota wants more clarity before committing to UK

The Japanese carmaker’s comments echo calls from businesses in both Britain and abroad for the UK government to make progress in talks on future relations with the EU following the country’s planned departure from the bloc in March 2019.

“We cannot stay in this kind of fog when we don’t know what will be the output of the negotiations,” Toyota executive vice president Didier Leroy said at the Tokyo Motor Show.

“The quicker we can get clarity about that, the better it will be [for] the way we can prepare for the future.”

Toyota, which employs more than 3,000 people in Britain, builds the Auris hatchback and the family Avensis car at Burnaston.

Sources told Reuters this month the company would build the next Auris model at the plant assuming Britain secured a transitional deal with the EU.

Toyota said in March it would invest £240m (€269m) in the plant, but retaining tariff-free access to the EU’s single market was crucial.

Mr Leroy yesterday re- iterated this was “absolutely key”.

“Today [Burnaston] exports 80% to 85% of production to the European continent,” he said.

“If we move to something like import tax or trade tax or any kind of additional penalty, it will create a big negative impact in terms of competitiveness and if competitiveness is not secured, we have to think about what we will do for the future.”

He said Brexit talks, currently deadlocked over the divorce bill, needed to move on to future trading relations.

“If the negotiations are postponed and postponed again, it’s clear that it creates some things that are not good for us,” he said.

Asked about Toyota’s concerns, Britain’s finance minister Philip Hammond said he was confident the UK government would be able to satisfy businesses’ need for certainty.

“I think that we stand a very good chance of being able to agree a transition deal with the European Union shortly after the December council.”

Reuters

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

FILE PHOTO The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has cleared the purchase of Goodbody Stockbrokers by AIB END Goodbody Stockbrokers fined over €1.2m by Central Bank over rules breaches
Nottingham City Centre Stock Irish staff at the Body Shop wait for wages as retailer shuts stores in the Republic
Ryanair comments on Norwegian Ryanair boss O'Leary's spat with Transport Minister over Dublin Airport escalates
IE logo
Devices


UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE IRISH EXAMINER FOR TEAMS AND ORGANISATIONS
FIND OUT MORE

The Business Hub
Newsletter

News and analysis on business, money and jobs from Munster and beyond by our expert team of business writers.

Sign up
ie logo
Puzzles Logo

Play digital puzzles like crosswords, sudoku and a variety of word games including the popular Word Wheel

Lunchtime News
Newsletter

Keep up with the stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap.

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited