Toyota Auris hybrid to be built in UK

Japanese automaker Toyota will start the production of the hybrid version of its hatchback, Auris, in Britain, in mid-2010.

Toyota Auris photo

The engines will be made at Toyota’s unit in Deeside, north Wales, where the non-hybrid Toyota Auris is being produced.

The company aims to fulfil the increasing demand, in the UK, for vehicles with good fuel efficiency. Toyota has claimed that the hybrid Toyota Auris uses 19 percent less fuel and releases17 percent less carbon dioxide compared to the non-hybrid Toyota Auris.

The hybrid  Toyota Auris will be Toyota’s first full hybrid to be built in Europe, and its first hybrid to be built in the UK.

Tadashi Arashima, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, was quoted as saying, “Toyota has taken a significant step forward in ensuring that full hybrids become more accessible to a wider range of customers. Such efforts are crucial if we are to see more low-carbon vehicles on European Roads.”

He further said that Toyota’s decision to build a full hybrid in the UK reflects its confidence in the quality and commitment of the Toyota Motor Manufacturing UK (TMUK) workforce and the strength of its partnership with the UK Government.

“Today’s announcement is positive for Toyota, our UK suppliers and the local communities here,” he said.

Experts believe that this move will also help in getting Britain’s economy on track to some extent.

“This is a welcome and forward-looking investment in Britain. As part of our low carbon industrial strategy we set out to make Britain the best place in the world to develop low carbon vehicles,” Business Secretary Peter Mandelson was quoted as saying.

The move was also appreciated by British bureaucrats. Some believe that the British car industry would only benefit if the government took the right decisions and actions.

Business Secretary Peter Mandelson was quoted by The Telegraph as saying, “We set out to make Britain the best place in the world to develop low carbon vehicles. These commitments, backed by the formidable skills of the U.K. automotive workers enable companies like Toyota to invest with confidence in low carbon car production in the UK.”

The Toyota Auris was launched in 2007 and comes equipped with 1.33-litre dual VVT-i engine and Toyota’s Start&Stop technology.

Toyota manufactures its hybrid vehicles in Japan, though it does produce some Prius cars in China and the Camry hybrid in the US.

A Reuters report says that the Toyota Auris was Toyota’s third-best-selling model in Europe during January- June 2009, after the Yaris and Aygo subcompact models.

When companies have been slashing jobs at a steady pace, Toyota continues to have a work force of 41,000 people in the UK. Ever since the Auris model was launched in the UK, the company has sold around 37,000 units of the car.

Toyota too has been bit by recession but has been taking some right measures to handle the crisis. The company expects the gas fueled cars to improve its sales graph in the UK.

Toyota’s revamped Prius hybrid has been a huge success in the Japanese market.