Toyota in Valenciennes becomes the first factory in France

Valenciennes-Onnaing, the only site of the Japanese manufacturer Toyota in France, imposes itself with the assembly of 255,936 cars precisely last year, or 50,000 more than in 2021, according to Standard and Poor’s. A good 24% of production which therefore allows Toyota to beat the title holder until then: the historic Peugeot site in Sochaux. Stellantis (ex-PSA) is experiencing a slight downturn, in particular due to work to reorganize production lines. Sochaux thus falls below the bar of 200,000 cars produced. For reference, 515,000 vehicles left the Sochaux chains in 2019.

Two models produced

Toyota can say thank you to a particular model: the Yaris Cross, a small compact urban SUV, hybrid version, non-rechargeable thermal and electric propulsion (the electric motor recharges while driving). Until now, the site inaugurated in 2001 in the North produced only the Yaris and it was in 2021, two years ago, that the compact SUV model arrived on the chains. A single production line for both models with an investment of 100 million euros from Toyota, the winning choice.

Japanese reliability, small models but large production volumes, compact manufacturing units to consume less energy and therefore reduce costs… a recipe for guaranteed success. Toyota’s ch’ti site is reaping the benefits today.

Toyota Onnaing now has 5,000 employees, including 3,750 on permanent contracts. The management intends to take advantage of the positive wind to pursue its policy of transforming fixed-term contracts into permanent contracts, without however indicating precise volumes for the moment. The first objective is to consolidate existing jobs.