Toyota, Honda to Increase Hybrid Car Sales in Europe - 8/14/07

Toyota Motor Corp plans to sell 1,200 units of its popular Prius sedan hybrid cars to auto rental giant Hertz Corp this year, the Nikkei reported on Tuesday.

The gasoline-electric motor powered cars will be delivered to Hertz locations in 12 countries throughout Europe, the business daily said, without citing sources.

In addition, Toyota will sell 75 Priuses to London taxi operator Green Tomato Cars as well as 90 cars to British government entities including the U.K.'s Environment Agency, it said.

Toyota aims to lift European sales of its hybrid cars to 44,500 in 2007 from 36,000 last year,

Separately, Honda Motor Co Ltd will sell 50 hybrids to Swedish furniture retailer Ikea Systems BV for use as commercial vehicles at its British locations, where all vehicles will go hybrid, the Nikkei said.

Japan's second-largest automaker by sales has shipped its hybrid cars to more than 100 firms throughout Europe, including the British Broadcasting Corp, IBM Corp, PepsiCo Inc and Exxon Mobil Corp.

Honda is targeting European sales of 15,000 cars in 2007, up sharply from about 4,000 last year, the newspaper said.

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