Toyota launches Auris Hybrid in Derbyshire

The ‘Auris Hybrid’ is Toyota’s first model to introduce hybrid technology into an existing compact, or ‘C-segment,’ car.

Business secretary Vince Cable, who attended the launch today in Derbyshire, said Toyota’s decision to make Burnaston the only plant in the world to build the Hybrid Auris is a ‘strong endorsement’ of the UK as a manufacturing base for the next generation of cars.

Speaking ahead of today’s roll out he stated: ‘It is sending a signal to manufacturers that if you’re not in the UK, then you’re missing out on all the strengths and skills that the UK has to offer.’

According to Toyota, the new 5-door hatchback Auris is equipped with the first and only full hybrid powertrain in the C-Segment market.

The vehicle’s ‘hybrid synergy drive’ has its roots in the first generation Prius, the world’s first mass-produced hybrid vehicle, which was launched in Japan in 1997 and in Europe in 2000.