Toyota has just passed the milestone of selling 200,000 petrol-electric hybrids to UK customers.

The company says that true to its core principle of kaizen – constant improvement – it has made its hybrid systems smaller, lighter, more powerful and more rewarding to drive, and that along the way, a lot less fuel has been used and far fewer harmful emissions have been pumped into the atmosphere, compared to the impact of 200,000 comparable petrol or diesel cars.

Back in 2000, there were just 184 UK Prius customers but in 2017 alone, Toyota’s hybrid sales have already passed 29,000 units, reflecting how the technology is consolidating its position firmly in the motoring mainstream. The company says the acceleration in sales has been influenced by many different factors, not least general public concern for environmental issues – particularly air quality and the effect of greenhouse gases. The Government has played its part, too, with initiatives to promote the take-up of cleaner, more efficient transport.

Toyota has also tailored the technology for use in many different types of vehicle, such as the Yaris Hybrid supermini and the RAV4 compact SUV, with the added benefit of all-wheel drive capability.

The British-built Auris is the top-selling Toyota hybrid in the UK and Europe. Currently more than 70 per cent of new Auris sales are for hybrids, with a similar figure for the new C-HR crossover. The new fourth generation Prius and the Prius Plug-in complete the current UK range, alongside the Prius+ seven-seat hybrid MPV.

Toyota says its  hybrid technology is also the foundation the Mirai, its hydrogen fuel cell saloon. Using hydrogen fuel to generate electric power on-board, it is a genuine zero emission vehicle, producing nothing other than pure water when driven.