Toyota said Wednesday it will start selling two vehicles that can run entirely on ethanol in Brazil, a first for the Japanese auto giant which has invested heavily in eco-friendly cars. The Corolla Flex and the Corolla Fielder Flex will be put on sale from this Friday by Toyota's subsidiary in Brazil, where ethanol is already widely used as a fuel thanks to an ample supply of local sugarcane.
They are the first models to be marketed by Toyota that can run on up to 100 percent ethanol, the company said in a statement. All other Toyota vehicles can run reliably on petrol mixed 10 percent with ethanol.
Brazil is the world's second-biggest producer of ethanol after the United States and more than 80 percent of its vehicles can run on ethanol, either mixed with petrol or pure.
Toyota aims to sell 2,500 Corolla Flex vehicles and 750 Corolla Fielder Flex vehicles a month in Brazil.
The group has no immediate plans to introduce the vehicles in any other markets, said Toyota Motor spokesman Tomomi Imai.
The Japanese giant overtook struggling US rival General Motors in the first quarter of 2007, helped by the popularity of its fuel-efficient vehicles.
