Japanese car giant Toyota has recently announced the development of an all new 1.33-litre Dual VVT-I petrol engine which incorporates the increasing popular start/stop technology to achieve improved fuel efficiency and reduced CO2 emissions.

The new Auris 1.33 Dual VVT-I Stop&Start not only benefits from Toyota’s Stop&Start technology but also comes with the added benefit of Toyota Optimal Drive, the first model released in the UK with this new engineering and design. Toyota are promising all future models will feature this Optimal Drive.

The new statistics certainly look much improved, with 17 percent lower emissions (now at 135 g/km) and 19 percent improvement in fuel consumption compared to their previous 1.4 litre VVT-I unit.

In what is claimed to be a world first, the manufacturer has created a Stop/Start system which has a permanently engaged starter gear mechanism, essentially the starter motor is in direct contact with the ring gear on the engine, this leads to an engine which starts and stops efficiently and quietly when stationary.

Until October 2009 these new Auris’ engines will be imported direct from Japan, however after that date Toyota’s Deeside plant is expected to take over engine manufacture, after the factory has had substantial investment to prepare for this production.