Race is on for first Brit-built hybrid

Toyota and Nissan are going head-to-head in a quest to offer the first British-built hybrid car.

Petrol-electric versions of Toyota's Auris and the Nissan Qashqai are currently under development and heading for UK and European showrooms in 2010.

But while Toyota has set its sights on being first, according to Auto Express magazine it's the 'eco-friendly' Qashqai that looks set to be quickest off the mark.

The mag claims that Nissan's hybrid 'crossover' 4x4 will start to roll off the company's Sunderland production lines early next year, and is likely to debut shared drive between an electric motor working one axle and a smaller petrol engine powering the other.

Toyota have yet to reveal exact details of the new Auris drivetrain, but the company has confirmed it will feature the ground-breaking Hybrid Synergy Drive seen in the brand's latest Prius model.

This means the Toyota newcomer, which is due to start production next summer from the company's Derbyshire plant, promises a full electric-only mode and ultra-low CO2 emissions.

Pricing has yet to be announced but if the Auris undercuts Honda's Insight - at £15,890 in base 'S' trim - the model may be a challenger for the title of cheapest hybrid available in the UK.

Speaking about his company's new model, Tadashi Arashima, President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, said: "Our decision to produce a full hybrid in the UK reflects both our confidence in the quality and commitment of the TMUK workforce and the strength of our long-standing partnership with the UK Government."

But not far behind in the race to debut a Brit-built hybrid is Land Rover - often unfairly singled out by eco-mentalists as a maker of 'gas guzzlers'.

The 4x4 specialist last month confirmed that a production version of its exciting LRX concept will go into production at the company's Halewood plant in Merseyside.

The latest Landy's 'green' credentials will be sealed by an electric-drive rear axle coupled to a 2-litre turbodiesel engine, capable of running on bio-diesel.

CO2 output is predicted to be around 120g/km, putting the 4x4 in the cut-price £35 car tax band.

Altogether this news is a great sign that, despite the economic downturn, major car producers are maintaining their commitment to British manufacturing and that the UK-based industry is at the cutting edge of new motor technologies.

And if it doesn't cure the obsession with 4x4s exhibited by some eco-mentalists, we don't know what will!

Let's hope they now decide to get behind a vital British industry, instead of working as they have been to date to cost tens of thousands of people their jobs.