Two Million Yaris Built In Europe (and counting…)
Toyota is celebrating building its two millionth Yaris in Europe, the car coming off the line at its Valenciennes factory in northern France on 28 October. The milestone has been reached in the same year as Toyota Motor Manufacturing France celebrates its 10th anniversary.
The model that took the production total to two million is a 1.4-litre D-4D five-door in Burning Red, destined for a customer in France. Joining with all the first and second generation Yaris manufactured since 2001, it could form a nose-to-tail queue reaching from London to beyond Kathmandu – more than 4,600 miles.
Production of Yaris – Toyota’s best-selling model in Europe – started at Valenciennes in January 2001, with an annual volume of 150,000 units. This rose to a peak of 262,000 cars a year in 2007. The factory was designed for flexible operation, with the ability to switch to a three-shift working pattern when required to meet market demand.
Following the recent introduction of the new, third generation Yaris, TMMF will return to three shifts in January next year and will recruit 800 extra workers, taking the employee total at Valenciennes to 4,300. Production of the new Yaris Hybrid will also begin next year.
Makoto Sano, TMMF President, said: “This important milestone was achieved thanks to the hard work and dedication of all our members in TMMF. With the arrival of the new Yaris, TMMF is entering a dynamic new era. The latest model offers a promising prospect for our plant in Valenciennes.”
ENDS
