Unsurpassed convenience and safety are being used to help Toyota win major player status in the burgeoning sector for compact multi-purpose vehicles.

The Japanese company's all-new seven-seater Corolla Verso (above) is the first to offer a system allowing its five rear seats to be folded into the floor to create a flat base. On sale this week, it is also the first compact MPV to have nine airbags as standard.

The 10-car line-up also boasts class-leading insurance ratings, a choice of navigation systems with electronic traffic avoidance and a new multi-mode manual transmission providing both manual and automatic modes.

Built in Turkey, the Verso offers a choice of 1.6 and 1.8-litre petrol engines, developing 109bhp and 127bhp respectively, and a 114bhp two-litre turbo-diesel unit. OTR prices range from £14,495 to £19,795 and registrations are expected to reach 6,000 this year and up to 10,000 in 2005.