Toyota Prius sales soar as congestion zone spreads west
 

As the central London congestion charge zone extends west to take in an even greater slice of the capital next week, the Toyota Prius becomes an even more compelling choice for drivers seeking to save money and drive a car thats less harmful to the environment.

Thanks to its ultra-low carbon dioxide emissions, Toyota Prius is exempt from the daily ??8 charge, which means daily commuters into the charging zone can save more than ??2,000 a year.

And its not just the congestion charge that drivers need to think about, as London boroughs and authorities in other parts of the UK queue up to follow Richmond councils lead and raise parking permit charges in line with vehicles CO 2 output. In Richmonds case, this means a Prius owner pays six times less to park than the owners of vehicles in the top band.

Its a message thats getting through to more motorists than ever before, with sales of the hybrid hatchback the worlds cleanest family car reaching record levels in the UK. Toyota Centres in London have reported exceptional demand, helping push Januarys Toyota Prius sales up by 135 per cent compared to the same month last year. This sustains a momentum that has fired full year figures up by more than a third in 2006, up from 3,745 Prius sales in 2005 to a new record of 5,017 sales.

Powered by a combination of a conventional 1.5-litre petrol engine and a compact, but powerful electric motor, Toyota Prius emits just 104g/km of carbon dioxide. And in slow, city centre driving, it can run for distances on electric power alone, reducing its emissions to zero. As the cars battery is constantly topped up by the engine and energy recovered from the brakes, Prius is not limited in range like fully electric-powered vehicles and does not have to be parked up for recharging. Its highly fuel efficient, too, with a combined cycle consumption figure of 65.7mpg.

On-the-road prices for the Toyota Prius start at ??17,780 for the T 3 model.

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