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Ladies and gentlemen
Please welcome Mr Didier Leroy
President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe
Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen
and welcome to Toyota and to the Hybrid world
As I'm sure you've noticed
all the cars on our stand are Hybrids
From the Yaris Hybrid with class-leading emissions
to the best-selling Prius Plug-in
We are the only manufacturer that could take such a bold step
Buyers of hybrid strongly embrace the technology
and become our most loyal customers
And, as we further expand our Hybrid offer
more and more people are switching to our hybrid cars
This kind of momentum
has a significant and positive effect on the environment
According to the recently published report by the KBA
the German Federal Transport Authority
our hybrid fleet which represents 20% of our total sales
is already below the 95 g/km CO2 regulation
that will be in place for 2020 seven years from now
Don't forget also that our hybrid products
emit almost no NOx or Particulate Matter
These emissions are not yet
at the top of the consumers' minds
But with the European Union
beginning to focus on inner-city air quality
petrol-hybrid is currently
the most appropriate low-emissions solution
Clearly Toyota has a strong competitive edge with Hybrid
But we still need to go further
and bring even more passion and driving pleasure
That's why we're delighted
that Hybrid is enjoying such high-profile success in world motorsport
At Le Mans this year
history was made
After a titanic battle it was Hybrid that won
and Hybrid also came 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th
That's a great endorsement of Hybrid's efficient performance
and also of its quality, durability and reliability
And even if we know that
nobody can buy a diesel hybrid from our main motorsport competitor
an increasing number of people can
and do - buy petrol hybrids from Toyota
The key to our on-track success
is our Toyota Hybrid System - Racing
Even if this system has a similar efficiency philosophy to our road cars
the technology is different
THS-R takes the principle of Hybrid to an extreme
by efficiently deploying
electrical energy in a short period
We thought it would be exciting
to dream about how it could be deployed in a road car
Which is why we have created a unique concept
that brings this leading technology closer to our customers
Ladies and Gentlemen
Let me invite on stage Senior Vice-President Daniele Schillaci
to reveal with me the Yaris Hybrid-R concept
Thank you Didier
Wow! What a great concept
As you can see
our dream car is based on the 3-door Yaris
but it's very different under the skin
It still features hybrid efficiency
but uses the recovered energy
to give an extra performance boost during acceleration
Let me give you a few details
Up front is a 300 horse power
1.6 turbo Global Race Engine
developed by Toyota Motorsport
At the rear are two electric motors
each producing 60hp
so about 120hp on the rear wheels
Together, the Hybrid system delivers around 420hp
A super-capacitor is installed
to allow energy to be recovered without restriction
and then quickly re-deployed
We believe a car like this would have two modes
Track and Road
In Track mode, the full 420hp would be available
and all energy focused on delivering
the best possible performance around a circuit
through short and intensive energy bursts
In Road mode
the Global Race Engine would have reduced power
and a lower amount of electrical energy
would be deployed over longer periods
for better fuel efficiency
Whichever way it is used
this concept is a Hybrid that is sure
to bring a smile to the face of its drivers
But, as you know
our hybrid customers have been smiling for many years
They have already discovered the new kind of driving pleasure
that only hybrid can deliver
I'm talking about the sense of joy you get
from the near silent driving in urban areas
the impressive acceleration and the strong positive feeling
of calm and relaxation
And, of course
the financial efficiency of hybrid
is bringing wide smiles to fleet owners and operators too
We've now sold more than 5.5 million hybrid vehicles worldwide
And, when you remember that our hybrid customers
are our strongest advocates
you can understand why more and more people
are attracted by Toyota hybrids
In Europe, the market for Hybrid products
has increased by 45% between 2012 and 2013
In the same period
our Toyota hybrid sales have increased by 65%
This means our share of the hybrid market has increased
from 65% in 2012 to 75% in 2013
This strong leadership position
is also reflected in the market for plug-in hybrids
Viewed by customers as a better solution than pure electric vehicles
Toyota has taken a dominant position
In the first half of this year
the Prius Plug-in Hybrid is the best-selling model in this market
But we're not stopping there
By the end of 2015
we will launch 15 new or redesigned full hybrid products
if you also count one that features a Fuel Cell
instead of an internal combustion engine
Furthermore, as recently announced
the next-generation Prius, when launched
will lead a new era of hybrid technology rollout for Toyota and Lexus products
These new hybrid powertrains
will deliver improved fuel economy while being lighter
more compact and lower in cost
These powertrain improvements will also be complemented
by the rollout of Toyota's New Global Architecture
to improve the overall product experience
In Europe, today's Toyota hybrid success
is driven by Yaris Hybrid and Auris Hybrid
In the B-Segment, more than 1/3 of Yaris sales are the Hybrid version
In the C-segment, where the market has declined by 9%
Toyota Auris volumes have grown by over 40%
with 4 out of 10 Auris sold now hybrid
Don't forget, this volume increase comes only from the 5-door hatchback
Now, with the new Toyota Auris Touring Sports
we have the possibility to go even further
Clearly we are not paying lip-service to an environmental commitment
we are truly delivering in Europe's most important segments
In fact, today I can announce that last month
Toyota achieved a European market share of more than 5%
a level we last achieved four years ago
This kind of success keeps our plants busy
and our utilisation rates high
To tell you more about Toyota's business efficiency
let me hand you back to Didier
Thank you Daniele
Indeed, in a region like Europe
where overcapacity is one of the major challenges
our product strategy is key
to ensure stability and maximum efficiency for our manufacturing operations
Our approach is based on two pillars
innovation and localisation of key products
Innovative models like Yaris and Auris hybrids
are good to the environment
bring clear benefits to our customers in terms of driving pleasure and cost of ownership
and have a strong positive impact on the European plants where they are manufactured
In fact, both our French and UK operations
on a standard two-shift basis are running at over 100% of capacity
In our factory in Turkey we are running at full capacity
thanks to the new Corolla
which is already launched in Europe's key markets
The new Corolla has received a fantastic reception
from customers new and old
and also from you, the media
And for great reason
This 11th generation model builds upon
the unique heritage that has made the Corolla
the best-selling car in the world
with more than 40 million units sold
And we're confident that this is the best Corolla yet
Stylish, spacious, durable efficient and affordable
we expect it to go from strength to strength
helping us to grow our sales
and further consolidate our manufacturing base
Today our manufacturing organisation is 'right-sized' for Europe
and our localisation rate is increasing to a level
close to our target of 75% of our cars produced locally
But we haven't stopped optimising
We continue to focus on improving our business efficiency
all across our Business Operations
to further reduce our break-even point in Europe
Last year Toyota Motor Europe made a profit from its car business operations alone
for the first time since 2007
This year we expect to go further in terms of profit
despite the drop of the market
And with powerful new products like the new Auris and the new Corolla
I do expect us to grow our sales this year
even if it's by just one unit
In a market that is down
this means our market share will again increase from 4.5 to 4.8%
I won't be selling cars at a loss
and I can assure you that our market share growth
will be delivered in a sustainable way
Ladies and Gentlemen
Toyota is the world's undisputed environmental leader
and the world's undisputed Hybrid technology leader
And with an expansion of both products and technologies
it's a position that we will maintain
Toyota's hybrid offer will continue to expand
with new technologies getting us closer and closer to the ultimate eco car
Fantastic new products
innovative technologies
anticipation and passion in everything we do
will secure the success of our business model in Europe
and will bring smiles to increasing numbers of customers
Thank you for being with us today
please now join me on the Lexus stand
where the press conference will begin shortly
Thank you very much