Toyota considers building hybrid in UK

The car industry has received a boost after Toyota said it is considering building a hybrid model of its Auris car in the UK.

By Graham RuddickPublished: 7:33PM BST 14 Jul 2009

The Toyota Auris
The Japanese car maker has a car plant in Burnaston, Derbyshire, which employs roughly 4,000 people, and gaining production of the new model would go a long way to securing the site's long-term future.
Reports in Japanese newspaper Nikkan Jidosha Shinbun said the company would start making the Auris hybrid, a hatchback, in 2012.

A spokesman in the UK for Toyota said it was "investigating" options but could not confirm the location of manufacturing at this stage.
At present, Toyota manufactures the model in Japan and the US. However, at a press conference in June, the new Toyota president, Akio Toyoda, the grandson of the company's founder, said the car maker would look to increase production of the hybrid in Europe. He said: "As stricter environmental regulations come into place, we are gradually shifting our focus to the hybrid segment. We are confident that this will create a stronger position for Toyota in Europe."
Toyota has established itself as the world's largest car maker following the turmoil suffered by General Motors because of the sharp downturn in global sales. The Japanese company produces the world's best-selling hybrid, the Prius. However, it has cut staff, pay, and implemented production shutdowns because of the financial crisis.