Toyota, the world’s leading automaker, has announced that it will manufacture its first fully electric vehicle in Europe. The new model will roll off the production line at Toyota’s plant in Kolin, Czech Republic, marking a historic milestone for the company’s electrification journey in the region.
The announcement was made during a ceremony attended by Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, Minister of Industry and Trade Lukáš Vlček, and Yoshihiro Nakata, President of Toyota Motor Europe.
To accommodate the production of the new EV and its battery systems, Toyota will invest around €680 million in expanding and modernizing the Kolin facility. The factory, which currently produces the Aygo X and Yaris Hybrid, will grow from 152,000 square meters to 173,000 square meters with new paint and welding workshops.
With this expansion, Toyota aims to strengthen its flexible production capabilities while creating additional jobs in the region.
Toyota’s presence in the Czech Republic goes back more than 20 years. Since 2002, the Kolin plant has produced over 4.5 million vehicles, initially starting with the Aygo. The site became a fully owned Toyota facility in 2021 and today employs approximately 3,200 people.
Toyota has already invested significantly in the Czech Republic. Between 2002 and 2005, the company allocated €1.069 billion to build the factory and launch production. From 2020 to 2024, Toyota invested an additional €251 million to boost capacity for the Yaris and Aygo X models. With the new electric vehicle project, Toyota’s total investments in the country will surpass €1.32 billion.
The upcoming EV project underscores Toyota’s long-term multi-path mobility strategy, combining hybrid, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen, and fully electric technologies to meet diverse customer needs. It also represents another key step toward the company’s goal of making its European operations carbon neutral by 2040.
