Toyota announces pricing for Auris hybrid

Toyota has announced the pricing for its Auris hybrid; in the UK, it will be available from £18,950, making it slightly cheaper than the company's famous Prius hybrid, which is roughly the same size, but more expensive than the Honda Insight.

One important respect in which the Auris differs from the Prius is that it is a variant of a mainstream model that is also available in standard petrol and diesel forms, rather than a hybrid-only product. That may allow the Auris to tap demand from customers who are interested in the advantages of hybrid technology but don't necessarily want to make the sort of statement about their motoring choices that the Prius, with its instantly recognisable silhouette, conveys.

The Auris hybrid is assembled at Toyota's UK plant in Derbyshire and its 1.8 litre petrol engine is built at the company's engine plant in North Wales. In official tests, its CO2 emissions are 89g/km and its combined cycle fuel consumption is 74.3mpg. The new car is zero rated for vehicle excise duty purposes and is capable of running for a little over a mile in electric-only mode. The first UK deliveries will take place from the beginning of July.