Toyota Prius is 2005 European Car of the Year

Toyota Prius is 2005 European Car of the Year
The Toyota Prius has been voted 2005 Car of the Year by the 58 members of the European Car of the Year Jury, it was announced last Monday. After two rounds of voting, the car was chosen from among seven finalists and declared the clear winner.

The Prius is the first petrol-electric hybrid vehicle to win the accolade. It received no fewer than 406 points, 139 points more than the second place car, the Citro�n C4 (267). The other finalists were the Ford Focus (228), Vauxhall Astra (180), Renault Modus (151), Peugeot 407 (135) and BMW 1-series (83).

Tadashi Arashima, president and CEO of Toyota Motor Marketing Europe, said: "We are absolutely delighted to receive the 2005 Car of the Year award for Prius.

"We believe that hybrid technology, in particular as implemented in the Prius with our revolutionary Hybrid Synergy Drive system, represents a big step forward in reducing the environmental impact of automobiles, while at the same time enhancing driving performance.

"This is a major milestone in the acceptance of the hybrid powertrain and the recognition of its potential to become a mainstream technology. It is also a great encouragement to us in our work on developing more environmentally friendly vehicles."

According to Steve Cropley, editor-in-chief of Autocar magazine, is one of the six UK members of the Car of