Toyota plans to add another country to the 47 that it already exports the Avensis, which is built exclusively at its UK factory in Burnaston, Derbyshire: its own home market, Japan. The company said demand for European styling and engineering from Japanese customers prompted its decision to bring the mid-size model.
The version that will be exported to Japan is the station wagon, named Tourer, powered by a 2.0-litre engine combined with a Multidrive S CVT transmission. Exports of the Avensis Tourer will commence in July, at a rate of 750 cars per month.
Toyota, which has invested over 1.85 million pounds since 1992, already exports 85% of the cars and engines manufactured in the UK, but the selection of Japan has been quite special for its UK division.
Toyota UK Managing Director, Katsunori Kojima, said: “We are very proud that the Avensis has been selected for export to Japan. This is yet another vote of confidence for the factory and the quality of our products”.
A sentiment echoed, naturally, by the British government, with Business Secretary Vince Cable commenting that this is “a tribute to the skills of the workforce, the efficiency of the plant and the quality of its products”.
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