Toyota has threatened to halt production in the UK if the government follows through on its plans to prohibit the sale of hybrid vehicles beginning in 2030.
The Japanese automaker informed government officials that the ban would impede “manufacturing, retail, and other business activities,” as well as “future investment.”
The document sent by Toyota to the UK government reads “if the government adopts an SZEC [significant zero emission capability] requirement that causes an early end to the sale of new full hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle sales in 2030, there would be an impact on a number of areas”.
The automaker expressed its concerns about the plan’s transition phase to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps. Toyota also objected to ministers’ plan to increase the percentage of EVs sold until 2035, according to the document.
As part of its net-zero strategy, the government has banned the sale of gasoline and diesel vehicles beginning in 2030, with greener hybrids being sold until 2035.
The mandate imposes targets requiring automakers to sell a growing percentage of zero-emission vehicles beginning in 2024. If automakers do not comply, they will face high fines.
According to a government spokesperson, “We’ve committed to ensuring all new cars and vans sold in the UK are zero emission at the tailpipe by 2035″. He went on to add that “vehicle manufacturers and supply chains play a vital role in the transition to cleaner vehicles and we continue to work closely with the industry to help shape future regulations.”
More legislation will be announced later this year, but it is expected that all but the most recent plug-in vehicles will be prohibited, affecting vehicles such as Toyota’s 12th generation Corolla hybrid. The vehicle is manufactured at Derbyshire’s Burnaston plant, one of Toyota’s two factories in the United Kingdom. Burnaston, along with Toyota’s engine factory in Deeside, North Wales, employs approximately 3,000 people and has a total investment of £2.75 billion.
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