UK manager of the Japanese auto firm warns of ‘Brexit’ cutbacks
The deputy manager of Toyota UK, Tony Walker, has warned that the auto firm would be forced to cut operations in the UK if the people of Britain vote out of the European Union in the June referendum.
Toyota is one of the biggest auto manufacturers in the UK, employing 3,500 workers in two British production plants. However, Tony Walker has said that a ‘Brexit’ could threaten Toyota’s operations within the UK as its competitiveness would be called into question.
Toyota could reduce UK operations incase of Brexit
The Japanese auto manufacturer believes that the relationship between the UK and the rest of Europe would be destabilised resulting in inefficient exporting operations and bigger costs. Toyota exports most of the vehicles that it produces in the UK; only 10% of the Toyotas manufactured here are purchased by British motorists.
Tony Walker made the comments while at a press conference held by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), which claims that 77% of auto manufacturers operating within the UK are against us leaving the EU, including Vauxhall, Nissan and Ford Motors, which no longer manufactures cars in Britain.
Despite the negative response from the auto industry, many people in the UK believe that the country’s current booming auto market would not be affected by a ‘Brexit’.
Michael Burrage, who recently wrote a report for Civitas (The Institute for the Study of Civil Society) about the EU’s single market industry, claims that: āNon-members have gained more from the single market than the members. This shows it is a non-event, and leaving would be a non-event.ā
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