Toyota Named the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership’s Manufacturer of the Year
Toyota’s latest developments in hybrid technology and its successful market launch of Mirai, the world’s first hydrogen fuel cell production saloon, have secured it the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership’s (LowCVP) Car Manufacturer of the Year title.
The honour was presented last night at the LowCVP’s 2016 Low Carbon Champions awards dinner, hosted in Milton Keynes in association with Cenex, the UK’s centre of excellence for low carbon and fuel cell technologies.
The awards judges considered that Toyota’s worldwide sales of nine million hybrid vehicles have made it “a global leader in low emissions vehicles” and that Mirai sees it building further on that reputation.
Andy Eastlake, the LowCVP Managing Director, said: “All the entries short-listed for the Champions Awards deserve recognition for the contribution they are making to cutting carbon emissions from road transport.
“There is a lot of work still to be done to achieve the long-term objectives set under the Climate Change Act, but the dynamism and determination shown by so many of those involved today shows how UK industry and operators have the drive and potential to achieve them.”
Within the past year, Toyota has introduced both the all-new, fourth generation Prius and the ground-breaking Mirai, models which sustain its global leadership in bringing low and zero-emissions vehicles to the market. With new Prius is has achieved its greatest advances yet in the fuel and emissions efficiency of its Hybrid Synergy Drive full hybrid powertrain, a technology that is now established as a mainstream alternative to conventional petrol and diesel engines. There are now 15 different Toyota and Lexus hybrid models on sale in the UK, among them the Auris and Auris Touring Sports hybrids that are built at Toyota’s Burnaston factory in Derbyshire.
Mirai pushes the boundaries of clean vehicle technology even further, powered by a Toyota-developed hydrogen fuel cell. When Mirai is driven, the only tailpipe emission is water.
As a company, Toyota is committed to further significant improvements in environmental performance, not just from its vehicles, but throughout its global operations. The Toyota Environmental Challenge 2050 seeks to eliminate carbon emissions and to go further by delivering genuine benefits to society and the natural world.
Paul Van der Burgh, Toyota GB President and Managing Director, said: “The LowCVP award is wonderful recognition of the work we are doing in the UK and worldwide to make cleaner, more efficient vehicles that are affordable, practical and desirable to own and drive. Our growing hybrid model range and the pioneering achievements of Mirai are part of a wider global commitment to produce new technologies and better ways of working that can protect and enhance the environment.”
ENDS
Note to editors
The Low Carbon Champions Awards were established in 2010. The Awards – now in their sixth edition – are an initiative of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (LowCVP); a public-private partnership that exists to accelerate a sustainable shift to lower carbon vehicles and fuels and create opportunities for UK businesses. Around 200 organisations are engaged from diverse backgrounds including government, automotive and fuel supply chains, vehicle users, academics, environment groups and wider society. www.lowcvp.org.uk
