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Toyota responsible for 75% of UK hybrid car market

  Thursday, 3 May 2012

Japanese vehicle manufacturer Toyota has revealed they have currently held a market share of more than three quarters of the UK hybrid car market over the last five years.

Almost 100,000 hybrid cars have been sold between 2007 and March 2012 – 77,000 of which were Toyota-made vehicles, either from Toyota’s everyday brand or its high-class subsidiary Lexus.

These are encouraging figures for Toyota, at a time when the overall market share of hybrid cars in the UK almost doubled from 0.7 per cent to 1.3 per cent. Toyota successfully stole a march on its competitors by introducing its first Prius in Japan 15 years ago. In February this year Toyota astonishingly sold its 2.5 millionth Prius model.

Although many of its competitors are now implementing their own hybrid development programmes Toyota’s vehicle remains the only commercially-successful ‘full hybrid’ system where the engine is not constantly required to run in the background.

Hybrid cars are 25 per cent more efficient than other cars. They achieve this level of efficiency by combining an electric motor with a conventional car engine. The electric motor is used to charge the batteries allowing it to provide the sole power supply of the car at selected times.

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A recent study from Deloitte of young drivers in America found they are becoming increasingly concerned with being environmentally friendly as opposed to driving a fast sports car. With more eco-friendly hybrid cars coming to market the trend for sporty cars appears to be declining worldwide.

Owners of inefficient second-hand cars are now choosing to scrap cars for cash, putting the funds towards new eco-friendly models. Car scrapping techniques have evolved over recent years and at ASM Auto Recycling our car recycling team has significant expertise in the art of vehicle de-pollution including the removal and storage of potential toxins from end-of-life vehicles and also the restoration of used car parts to good working order.

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