(Mon 14 Sep 09)

As was suggested back in July, Toyota is using the Frankfurt Show to provide more details of the Toyota Auris Hybrid, which will be built at the Burnaston factory near Derby and go on sale in the second half of next year.

The hybrid system is the same as the one used in the Prius, with a 1.8-litre petrol engine and an electric motor, and Toyota is at pains to make it clear that both cars are therefore "full" hybrids which can be driven with the engine on its own, or the motor on its own, or both together. "Not all hybrids can do this," says Toyota, just avoiding mentioning that one which can't is the Prius's main rival, the Honda Insight.

Anyway. As well as all the hybrid stuff, the Auris also has various features which you would expect to find on a high-economy, low-CO2 special model, such as aerodynamic tweaks (including flat sides to the front and rear bumpers, underbody panels and a rear diffuser), a ride height 20mm lower than standard, low-rolling resistance tyres and wheels designed to reduce turbulence. One obvious emission from this list is revised gearing, but the Auris doesn't have a conventional manual gearbox - instead, and like the Prius, it uses a CVT instead.

The overall effect has not been confirmed, but Toyota is aiming for CO2 emissions of under 100g/km, which suggests combined fuel economy in the high 70s mpg. The only performance figure is a "target" 0-62mph time of around 10 seconds.

The Frankfurt concept car is fitted with extra soundproofing, along with Prius-like solar panels in the roof. There are more of these panels on the dashboard, and their purpose is to provide enough energy to recharge mobile phones or portable music players without draining the battery. Toyota's eventual aim is to provide more efficient solar panels to help recharge the battery itself. In the meantime, the concept includes further energy-saving measures such as LED front and rear lights.

Inside, the concept is upholstered in blue leather, with contrasting trim in the same pearl white colour as the exterior. Blue is of course the colour used to denote environmental friendliness by companies who don't want to to use green, but we might want the interior designers to switch to decaff before they start work on the production car.

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