Once upon a time, a would-be company called “Tesla” got a helluva good deal on another old plant Toyota (don’t spoil this story by including GM) had abandoned. But THIS time, UK likely could, effectively, force majeure the situation and obtain / repurpose it for $0 (sorry: £0). There has been a good deal of good-quality discussion in this thread on the economic hurdles a UK-based auto production operation has in a world…and particularly, a continent— that drives on the other side of the road but we also all know It is NOT a particularly awkward or costly challenge to design tabula rasa a vehicle OR its manufacturing plant to accommodate either.
Now I need to learn something - anything - about the extant Toyota plant.
I am probably not the best person to answer, but I'll do so anyway, partly because i have visited Burnaston and Sunderland for that matter.
This location is not exactly ideal from a logistics perspective although Toyota has, since the 1992 production beginning there, invested huge sums. Originally all movements in and out were by road. Recently Toyota managed to establish rail links:
Toyota has started exporting vehicles made at its Burnaston plant in the UK to Europe on rail via the Channel Tunnel. It is also importing vehicles produced at the Valenciennes plant in France to the UK along the same route.
www.automotivelogistics.media
They have spent huge amounts upgrading the plant including a large solar panel installation around 2010, IIRC. They're very much the largest Derbyshire commercial enterprise. Were they to really pull out the area would be devastated. The plan shut completely for a time during early Covid-19 days and has been plagued ever since with Brexit complications, Chunnel issues and other problems.
Toyota began exporting Corolla Hybrids from Burnaston to the EU, as the linked article about shows.
Bluntly, I'm reliably informed that Toyota really wishes they had a way out, but there is so much sunk cost that they have no decent solution. The hybrid only story is a cover for urgent desire to be gone ASAP.
FWIW, Nissan Sunderland is also threatened despite a valiant effort to deny reality:
Nissan bosses say the future for the firm’s Sunderland plant is bright despite the UK car industry seeing production fall to its lowest level in more than 60 years.
www.sunderlandecho.com
Not too long ago Sunderland was probably the brightest light for Nissan globally. Now they're trying to keep investing and hoping for the best, while encountering large scale problems. FWIW, Sunderland voted for Brexit in a triumphal case of shooting themselves in their feet and other anatomical regions. I was there back during the glorious days.
We should be clear. Tesla would need to be quite insane to make new manufacturing commitments in the UK under present circumstances. The combination of Brexit and logistical constraints combine to make many places in the EU vastly better choices. One need not mention the increasing difficultly in finding well qualified engineers and workers, post Brexit.
These are my own opinions. Knowledgable people may and will differ.
