Toyota denies the plans for Yaris hybrid
By Andrew C., 30 Aug, 2010. 0 Comments
2009 Toyota Yaris
Toyota announced that it currently has no plans to make a Yaris hybrid, stating that the hybrid system would be difficult to implement in smaller cars and that since Yaris is already fuel-efficient, any gain would be marginal. This statement quashes initial reports that the Yaris hybrid would begin production in France and in Japan and would go on sale within two years. Toyota clarifies that it plans to have a hybrid option available in every model by 2020, but the efficiency of small engines means a full Prius-style hybrid system is unlikely to feature in small cars like the Yaris in the near future. While Toyota is on course to sell one million hybrids (Prius and Auris 3rd-gen models) worldwide within the next few years, Yaris, along with other small cars, would probably get its hybrid model only on the later part of the next decade, when battery efficiency increases. Stop-start technology is already available in the Yaris. Toyota confirmed earlier this month that the Auris hybrid will be built in the UK, with production starting in 2010. [via autocar]
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