Toyota Prius news - Toyota’s green beret? - 2009

We wish we were making it up, but we're not: the British Army has put in an order for 50 Toyota Priuses as part of an Armed Forces drive to cut carbon monoxide emissions.

Maybe they're misunderstanding Toyota's reputation for ‘bulletproof build quality'. Not actual bullets, guys.

In fairness, the Priuses won't be deployed on the front line in Afghanistan. Instead, they'll be used for non-operational purposes in the British Isles. The army intends to reduce average emissions of its 3,000-strong ‘white fleet' to under 130g/km of CO2.

Still, we can't help thinking they could've bought British at least. What's wrong with a nice, er, Aston V12 Vantage, guys? Or a Caterham R500? Where's your patriotism?

If you're really, really set on a Toyota, can we humbly recommend the Hilux? It'd save you a fair bit on those flimsy ‘tank' contraptions...