Japanese automaker Toyota’s European arm said on 30 January 2023 that the company plans to produce the second-generation Toyota C-HR at Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey (TMMT) in Sakarya, Turkey. In addition, TMMT will be Toyota’s first European plant to start producing plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and the first to be equipped with a battery production line.
TMMT is slated to produce the Toyota C-HR in hybrid as well as PHEV versions, which will make the model first PHEV passenger car to be produced in Turkey.
The company announced that alongside the vehicle production line, TMMT will build a new plug-in battery assembly line with a capacity of 75,000 units per year within its facility. The PHEV battery assembly operations are slated to start in December 2023, creating around 60 new skilled jobs.
Commenting on the company’s plans, Erdoğan Şahin, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Turkey President and CEO, said, “In this project, which reveals TMMT's high-quality vehicle production experience and advanced engineering ability, we will implement our responsibilities with great dedication. This represents an exciting step forward for TMMT's future as it continues to produce popular attractive and high-quality models. This project once again confirms that our production facility in Sakarya is a globally important place for Toyota. As one team, we will continue to contribute to Sakarya and Turkish economy by working together with all our energy.”
Adding to that, Marvin Cooke, Toyota Motor Europe EVP of Manufacturing, said, “We are proud to announce that TMMT will produce the second-generation Toyota C-HR including the first plug-in hybrid vehicle in Europe. The outstanding performance and dedication which our TMMT employees deliver will make this new model a great success, just like its predecessor. It also marks another important milestone with the start of our first battery assembly line in Europe, which is an important step in our European electrification plan.”
Significance: According to the company, the creation of a battery assembly line in TMMT is a strategic milestone for Toyota’s electrification transformation and will also support other Toyota Europe plants in the future with capable manpower and know-how.
Total investment for this project will be around EUR317 million (about USD345 million), bringing the overall cumulative investment in TMMT to around EUR2.3 billion. The company further added that in scope of the new model investment, TMMT will improve and enhance its production line, while laying down the framework to meet the future requirements of production diversity and flexibility, which is a key factor in Toyota Europe’s business sustainability strategy.
Moreover, the 100% electrified powertrain line-up of the new Toyota C-HR reflects Toyota’s commitment to offer appropriate carbon reduction opportunities to the largest and most competitive market segment in Europe. In addition to the hybrid version, the new PHEV Toyota C-HR with locally assembled batteries will further expand Toyota’s multitechnology offer toward its target of 100% carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction in its vehicle line-up in Europe by 2035.
The decision is aligned with the carmaker’s larger strategy of achieving full carbon neutrality in Europe by 2040. The company is targeting carbon neutrality in all its manufacturing facilities by 2030.
