The jewel in the Toyota crown is the Prius – leader in hybrid terms and virtually a brand in its own right. The Prius is also complicated, and expensive to build (in Japan). In sales terms, a niche model. 

According to The SMMT’s latest batch of vehicle registration figures, Toyota’s UK market share is holding steady – a little over 5% (y-t-d). In December 2009 the company sold only a third as many cars as Ford, and fewer than half as many that drove off Vauxhall and Volkswagen forecourts.

The world’s largest car maker seems to have an image problem.

What Toyota needs to do is sell more ‘bread and butter’ cars, but how to lure the buyers? The ‘halo’ effect seems to work for Honda with the Civic Type R, but Toyota’s SR models appear ‘warm’ at best. And there are gaping holes in the line-up where the MR2, Celica and Supra once stood. 

Come on Toyota, perhaps it’s time to cash in on the UK’s love affair with ‘sporty’ cars.