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1992

Toyota Carina E

The first Toyota built in Europe, from a new factory in Derbyshire.

K92 CRE
Toyota Carina E
Photo: Rudolf Stricker, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The story

Toyota followed Nissan to Britain with a plant at Burnaston, near Derby, and an engine factory in North Wales. The Carina E was a roomy, smooth family car that almost never went wrong. Taxi drivers loved it.

Inside

Soft, rounded and very spacious, with lots of storage and light controls.

In period colours

Tap a colour to respray the drawing.

Dark green
Did you know?

The E stands for Europe.

Meanwhile, in 1992

The Premier League kicked off.

Best-selling single of 1992: I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston

Buying and running

Before you buy a 1990s car

  • On petrol engines, check the cooling system and any sign of head gasket trouble.
  • Ask when the timing belt was last changed, where fitted.
  • Parts for mass-market cars are widely available; specialist and low-volume models can be hard to find.

General notes, not specific to this model. Check the model's own history before buying.

Rivals of its day

Picked automatically: cars on sale at the same time with similar size, speed and price.

Nissan Primera1990 · 121 mphCompare
Honda Accord1992 · 124 mphCompare

See the real thing

These open in a new tab: the car on Wikimedia Commons, the interior and the badge as Google image searches.

Flat out 020406080100120140 MPH
127 mph
First builtDecember 1992
Age today34 years since launch
Built atBurnaston, Derbyshire
On sale1992–1997
Years in production5 years
Number madeBurnaston has built over 4 million cars since
Kerb weight1,100 kg (approx.)
Fuel economy32 mpg combined (approx.)
Engine2.0-litre 16-valve four
Power131 bhp
Top speed127 mph
Speed rankingJoint 64th fastest of 164
0–60 mph9 seconds
Price when newFrom about £11,000
In today's moneyAbout £29,500
Designed byToyota

Today's money: the launch price adjusted for inflation to 2026, using the Office for National Statistics price index.