Toyota Yaris Hybrid – made in France

Toyota already holds the lead in the fight by car makers to get us in to Hybrids. The new Toyota Prius is blitzing the sales charts in Japan, and selling well around the world. But Toyota aren’t sitting back and resting on their Prius laurels. They recently announced that the Toyota Auris Hybrid will be put in to production – and built in the UK. But now comes news that Toyota are to build a smaller Hybrid – the Toyota Yaris Hybrid – which will be built in France for the UK and European market.

The Toyota Yaris Hybrid will be based on the next generation Yaris platform, and go on sale in Japan in 2011. It will feature a modified version of  Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive which, coupled with the smaller-engined Yaris, should yield even more impressive consumption figures than either the Prius or the yet to be launched Auris Hybrid.

The reports are that Toyota will also launch the Yaris Hybrid in Europe in 2011, with the car being made in France. At this rate Toyota’s aim to produce 1,000,000 Hybrid cars a year may yet turn out to be a conservative target. And the Toyota Yaris Hybrid is expected to be very keenly priced. In Japan, it is expected to go on sale at around £9,500. Expect that to be a bit more by the time European taxes come in to play – but it will still be a cheap Hybrid, and could really see Hybrid sales taking off fore those just looking for the cheapest form of reliable transport.