Toyota Motor Corp. reaffirmed its commitment to the U.K. after a newspaper reported it may halt making cars in the country because of government plans to shift more rapidly to fully electric vehicles.
The Japanese automaker said it’s ready to sell only zero-emission cars and reiterated its view that hybrids have a role to play in the transition by 2035 as the U.K. prepares to set new targets for the auto industry. Toyota is focused on achieving a long-term and sustainable future in Europe, including for its British plants, the carmaker said in an emailed statement.
The company was responding to a Sunday Times report that said it had warned Transport Secretary Grant Shapps it may cease manufacturing in Britain. Toyota said it shares the U.K.’s ambition to head toward zero emissions, though declined to comment on the government’s mandates because it hasn’t seen a draft of the rules being prepared by the Department for Transport.
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