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Toyota has seen a significant surge in sales of its hybrid range of cars this year, attributed in some part to the negative publicity surrounding diesel engines. According to its research, it expects diesel engined cars to account for only 55 per cent of the Irish market in 2018, down from close to 80 per cent in recent years.
To help encourage buyers away from diesel and into hybrid, Toyota will run an 'Upgrade To Hybrid For Free' campaign as part of its 'showtime' open weekend starting on the 8th of November.
According to Toyota Financial Services (Toyota Ireland's new finance and PCP partner) a hybrid car is expected to have a residual value some six per cent higher than its diesel equivalent. That, combined with low interest rates (as little as 2.9 per cent for a Yaris Hybrid), and a trade-in bonus of as much as €4,500 against an old diesel, is supposed to bridge the price gap between diesel and hybrid.
There are other offers too, including a €2,000 price cut for the RAV4 Hybrid Luna Sport, and an additional €2,200 worth of extra equipment (including satellite navigation with connected services, 17-inch alloy wheels and sports interior trim) for the Auris Luna Sport Hybrid.
For models where there is no hybrid option, such as the Corolla, buyers are being offered €1,400 worth of extra toys (including satellite navigation, heated seats, retractable mirrors and 17-inch alloy wheels) to switch from a diesel to a Luna Sport petrol.
Michael Gaynor, Marketing Director at Toyota commented: "As Irish motorists begin to question the future resale value of diesel vehicles, we see a tipping point where customers will accelerate a move either into hybrid or back to petrol for 181. Toyota is in a strong position with the widest range of hybrid models available on the market, in addition to a great range of petrol engines. To truly live up to our brand promise of Built for a Better World, we want to lead the market into more environmentally friendly vehicles that have significantly less nitric oxide emission than diesel, hence why Toyota was the first brand to introduce a diesel scrappage scheme exclusively to hybrid."