I ALWAYS fancied myself as a graffiti artist back in the day.
Thanks to my mum, I didn’t do anything with it.
Toyota has chalked up FIVE MILLION British-built cars at Burnaston, near Derby[/caption]
But when Toyota told me they had chalked up FIVE MILLION British-built cars at Burnaston, near Derby, I knew how I’d like to mark it.
With a little memento on the end of the production line that says “fresh since 1992”.
Just call me Budget Banksy.
I will update it when they get to six million, if they haven’t whitewashed the wall by then.
The first car built at Burnaston, in December 1992, was the Carina E.
A rock-solid family motor specifically designed and engineered for Europe, hence the “E”. It cost £12,145.
In a world largely dominated by Sierras and Cavaliers, Carina E won many customer satisfaction awards for its advanced petrol engines, superior build quality, reliability and cheaper running costs.
Much like Corolla today.
Corolla is king at Burnaston now.
One is born here every 142 seconds — almost 400 a day, 7,000 a month.
Hatchback, estate and van.
All with efficient self-charging petrol hybrids produced at Toyota’s Deeside engine plant.
All with Toyota’s brilliant ten-year warranty.
If you want a car that does everything it’s meant to do really well, get a Corolla.
It won’t let you down.
Burnaston also produced big numbers of the Avensis and Auris over the years, but switched back to Corolla in 2019.
Park all five million British-built Toyotas end to end and they’d stretch from London to Tokyo and back.
‘ENGINEERING EXPERTS’
And a bit farther.
Here’s another big number for you.
The Japanese firm spent £700million building Burnaston and has invested another £2billion in its UK operations since.
Toyota boss Dariusz Mikolajczak praised the 2,500 staff under his watch at Burnaston, plus the other 500 at Deeside.
He said: “This is a proud moment for everyone at TMUK.
“All our members, past and present, are a true credit to our business.
“The milestone of five million cars also reflects our contribution to the UK economy and our continued investment in making ever-better cars, embracing new technologies and new ways of working.”
Well said.
Toyota UK.
Experts in the art of engineering.
BRITISH-BUILT TOYOTAS
The Toyota Avensis[/caption]
The Toyota Auris[/caption]
- CARINA E 400,000
- AVENSIS 1.9m
- AURIS 1.3m
- COROLLA 1.4m
‘I met my hubby at factory. Now our son works here’
MEET Mandy.
She’s been at Burnaston since day one.
Mandy has been at Burnaston since day one and met her husband there[/caption]
She met her husband Mark here.
Their two boys went to the on-site nursery here.
Now, Jack, the eldest, works here too.
Mandy said: “Little did I know, when I joined, the wealth of opportunities that would be open to me and that I would be here for the rest of my working life.
“When our first car, the Carina E, came through the curtains and smoke, many happy tears were shed.
“That sense of pride continues today – from driving my Corolla to seeing new cars leave the production line each day, sending a little piece of Derbyshire all around the world.
“The pride in our organisation and our approach to quality remains as strong as ever.”
