DIESEL technology and low running costs have led to Toyota winning a dual-badge deal, along with Volkswagen, to provide vehicles to the UK arm of BASF.

The Toyota Avensis and Corolla models are likely to make up the majority of the Toyota orders, but niche vehicles will also be available.

The vehicles will be supplied by Hertz Lease on three-year contract hire arrangements, with annual mileage between 20,000 and 30,000, and the fleet is managed by Ashbrook Vehicle Management.

BASF purchasing manager Philip Coulter said: 'We evaluated all the models from many manufacturers and when we calculated the pence per mile and wholelife costs, Toyota came out favourably.'