TOYOTA - ninth in the fleet sales top 10 for year-to-date and September - has cut its recommended retail prices by up to 15% on certain models. The move, which averages out at about 8% across the board, follows major reductions by Ford and MG Rover and has led to renewed speculation that Vauxhall, Peugeot and Renault will follow.

Neither Avensis nor Previa, relaunched in July and August respectively, are affected. A Toyota spokesman said: 'Substantial value improvements were made on each product versus the outgoing models and therefore prices remain unchanged.' Yaris, however, comes down by £450 across the range, as does the Yaris Verso mini-MPV. Corolla prices have been cut by between £1,000 and £1,500.

The new Celica 1.8, introduced in November last year, takes a reduction of £2,260 to £16,995 for the standard model and by the same amount to £18,495 for the Premium Pack version. MR2 Roadster drops by £500, as do the NV and NRG grades of RAV4. GX and VX versions of Toyota's sports utility vehicle come down by £800, while £2,500 and £3,000 have been lopped off Land Cruiser Colorado and Amazon prices respectively.