The revolutionary Hybrid Synergy Drive system won in the 1.4 to 1.8-litre category and also took first place in the ‘Best Fuel Economy’ category - thanks to its application in the Toyota Prius with outstanding fuel consumption of 4.3 l/100 km (EC mode, combined).

The awards were collected by Mr Jon Williams, Toyota’s European Marketing Director for the Toyota brand and Mr Colin Hensley, General Manager of the R&D External Affairs and Communication Division, during a special awards ceremony that took place in Stuttgart on June 1, 2005.

Mr Thierry Dombreval, Toyota Motor Marketing Europe’s Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer said: “These two awards further reinforce Toyota’s Hybrid Synergy Drive as a leading powertrain technology for production cars today.”

These latest accolades for the hybrid powertrain mean Toyota has set a new record in the International Engine of the Year awards with no fewer than nine titles for Prius over its two generations:

1999 – Best engine, 1.4-1.8 litre
1999 – Best eco-friendly engine
2000 – Best eco-friendly engine
2004 – Best engine, 1.4-1.8 litre
2004 – Best fuel economy
2004 – Best new engine
2004 – International Engine of the Year
2005 – Best engine, 1.4-1.8 litre
2005 – Best fuel economy

The International Engine of the Year awards have been held since 1999 and reward the best engines available on the market. Every engine in mass-production installed in a production car on sale in more than one country is eligible.

The jury is composed of a panel of 56 renowned journalists from 24 countries around the globe, covering five different continents.

In total, 11 categories have been created to specifically distinguish engines by size, fuel economy and performance.