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Inchcape Fleet Solutions funds Defra diesel replacement programme

Toyota_DEFRA_Burnaston
Defra's diesel to hybrid move. Pictured are Alan Barrett, Manager Public Sector and Fleet Development for Toyota with Jim Gregory Strategic Fleet Manager for Defra Group Fleet Services

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19 April 2018

DEFRA is replacing 400 diesel cars with British-built Toyota Auris Hybrids, underwritten by Inchcape Fleet Solutions.

The government department, responsible for the environment, food and rural affairs, is replacing a significant proportion of its diesel company car fleet.

The changeover from diesel to petrol-electric hybrid is already under way and will continue throughout 2018 in a rolling replacement process.

The Toyota Auris Hybrids will be used by four Defra organisations: Environment Agency, Marine Management Organisation, Rural Payments Agency and Animal and Plant Health Agency.

Jim Gregory, Strategic Fleet Manager for Defra Group Fleet Services said:

“The cars from these four Defra organisations already represent one of the lowest CO2 emitting fleets in the UK and we have reduced nitrogen oxide gases (NOx) emissions, linked to respiratory illness, by nearly 10%, and CO2 by nearly 30% across our 7,000 cars, commercial vehicles, plant and machinery.

“We have challenged ourselves to go even further by buying only hybrid or electric vehicles from 2025, replacing our current fleet of diesels with cleaner vehicles and setting targets for NOx as well as CO2 emissions.

“We’re balancing a challenging ambition against the needs of our vehicle users, while keeping a close eye on new and emerging technology which can help us reduce our harmful emissions even further without increasing our costs.”

Alan Barrett, Toyota Manager for Public Sector and Fleet Development, added:

“This significant deal with Defra continues the growing business trend towards hybrid electric technology. Our hybrid fleet sales increased by more than 40 per cent in 2017 and this momentum is continuing into 2018. Operators of vehicle fleets both big and small are seeing how well the technology can work for their business, as well as reducing their carbon emissions and running costs.”

The Toyota Auris Hybrid is built at Burnaston in Derby, while the hybrid engines are produced at Toyota’s Deeside facility in North Wales.

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Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

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