Toyota is searching for its oldest UK built model
Toyota vehicles are known for several features, but possibly the most well-known feature of Toyota cars, is their longevity. And in celebration of this longevity, the Japanese automaker wants to prove that this is true for their vehicles wherever they are built.
For the 20th anniversary of Toyota’s plants in Burnaston in the UK, the carmaker came up with a competition to find the oldest surviving Carina E, built in the UK.
The Carina E mid-size sedan was the first Toyota to roll off the assembly line from the Burnaston plant in Derbyshire; that happened back in 1992.
Toyota went through the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency – DVLA – records and discovered that there were about seventeen thousand Carina models, built between ’92 and ’97, that are still in regular use throughout the country.
This isn’t just a publicity stunt, there’s a serious message behind this contest, because according to the company: ”achieving the highest standards of built and quality are central to Toyota”, and they want to show that there were no compromises on quality when the decision was made to start manufacturing operations in the UK.
Owners and Toyota enthusiasts across the United Kingdom are being asked by the company to check their VIN numbers, which can be found just below de windscreen wipers, the first thing to look for would be to make sure that their model is actually one of the UK-made ones, not one from Japan. If the vehicle is actually manufactured in the UK, the 17-character code will start with an “S”, as opposed to a “J” for imports.
You can then send that code via email and the owner of the oldest Carina E will be invited to tell the story of their vehicle and have it photographed, and also receiving the opportunity to use a new Auris for a week.
