Toyota Invests $56 Million in UK Factory to Build GR Corolla Amid Soaring U.S. Demand
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TOKYO—As reported by Reuters and confirmed on motor1.com, Toyota will begin producing the GR Corolla in the United Kingdom starting in 2026, marking the first time a full-fledged Gazoo Racing model will be assembled outside of Japan. Production will take place at the company’s Burnaston plant in Derbyshire, where preparations began quietly in 2024. Toyota is investing approximately $56 million to prepare the facility for GR Corolla assembly as part of a strategy to meet growing demand in North America and optimize its use of UK production capacity.
Until now, the GR Corolla has been manufactured exclusively at the Motomachi Plant in Japan. The move to shift some production overseas is not a reaction to tariffs but rather a response to overwhelming demand for the high-performance, three-cylinder hatchback in the U.S. market. The Burnaston plant, which already builds the regular Corolla hatchback and the Touring Sports wagon (not sold in the United States), is a natural fit for the expansion. Toyota will dispatch engineers from Japan to the UK facility to ensure production meets Gazoo Racing’s exacting standards.
Although the decision to move production to the UK raises the possibility of a European release, Toyota has yet to confirm whether the GR Corolla will be sold on the continent. For now, the car remains unavailable in Europe, and the company has said it will reveal additional details—including where the UK-built models will be sold—at a later date.
According to reports, once production is underway, up to 10,000 units will be shipped annually from the UK to North America.
As Toyota’s Burnaston facility prepares to become the first overseas home of a GR model, the automaker continues to balance global production challenges, shifting tariffs, and the demands of a loyal performance-car fan base.
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