Toyota to spend $56 million on moving some sports car production to Derbyshire plant

A $56 million investment will be made at Toyota's Burnaston plant in Derbyshire. Credit: PA

Toyota is set to move some production of its GR Corolla sports car from Japan to its Burnaston plant in Derbyshire, spending $56 million on a dedicated production line for the model.

The move will see the plant produce 10,000 of the cars a year to be exported to North America from the middle of 2026, with some engineers temporarily moving across from Japan.

Burnaston already produces the base model Corolla hatchback, and began operations in 1992.

By shifting production, it is hoped the manufacturer can use excess capacity at the Derbyshire factory to help it cut delivery wait times for the car in the U.S.

It is understood the move is not in reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs on car imports.

The Trump administration agreed this month to reduce tariffs on car imports from Britain to 10% on up to 100,000 vehicles a year.

Japan is affected by the 25% tariff on all car imports and is seeking to get it repealed.

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