Toyota starts making Europe's first hybrid

Toyota will this month commence production of the hybrid version of the Auris at its Burnaston plant in the UK; the Auris will be the first hybrid to enter full production in Europe.

The new car will be built alongside standard petrol and diesel engined versions of the Auris, although Toyota has had to do some clever juggling to fit the new variant in to its production schedule as it takes slightly longer to build than the standard cars.

The new car is expected to emit just 89g/km on official tests and goes on sale in the UK and the rest of Europe at the beginning of July. No official prices have been released yet, but the Auris hybrid seems likely to be cheaper than the longer-established Prius. One interesting question is whether it will be able to match the keen pricing of Honda's Insight, which starts at just £16,325.