Toyota has given the Aygo X an aggressive new look and a hybrid powertrain that is claimed to emit the least CO2 of any non-plug-in car in Europe.
The brand’s smallest and most affordable car has adopted the same 1.5-litre three-cylinder petrol-electric hybrid powertrain that is used in the larger Yaris, sending up to 114bhp through the front wheels.
This is enough to send the Aygo X from 0-62mph in less than 10sec – a significant improvement on the previous 14.9sec. And, product manager Cesar Romero told Autocar, it will yield fuel efficiency in excess of 74mpg, pending official WLTP testing.
The existing 71bhp 1.0-litre three-pot, which traces its lineage back to the original Aygo of two decades ago, is being removed from the line-up, and the option of a manual gearbox goes with it; the Aygo X is now fitted with the Yaris’s CVT-like epicyclic automatic as standard.
In addition to the much-improved performance of the hybrid, two key motivators for the older lump’s removal from the line-up are the UK’s zero-emission vehicle mandate and fleet CO2 emissions targets.
The ZEV mandate contains a provision that allows car manufacturers to convert reductions in their total CO2 outputs into de facto ‘sales’ of electric cars, giving them extra flexibility to meet EV sales targets.
Every 167g/km of CO2 cut from a firm’s total output in any given year can be converted into one ZEV ‘sale’, meaning they have to sell one less electric car to meet compliance targets – or they can sell an extra petrol, diesel or hybrid car within their limit.
This is particularly relevant for the Aygo. It is one of Toyota’s best-selling models in the UK, and the new hybrid system emits significantly less CO2 than the previous petrol engine. It’s rated at 86g/km, a reduction of 23g. For reference, the rival MG 3 Hybrid+ emits 100g/km.
