TOYOTA is hailing a summer sales boom courtesy of its new model army.

The recent arrival of four new offerings from the Japanese producer - the GT86 sports coupe, Yaris Hybrid, Prius + and Prius Plug-in - saw sales leap by 25 per cent during July.

With the new quartet on sale it means the Toyota stable in the UK now houses 17 different models

Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that Toyota sold 5,740 new cars in July, which 25.16 per cent more than in the same month last year.

It is a total has helped take year-to-date sales beyond 51,000, delivering 18.98 per cent growth and a 4.25 per cent market share.

And particularly strong demand is being shown by retail customers, with a 37.8 per cent sales increase in July, compared to a 24 per cent rise for the market as a whole.

The past three months has seen the arrival of the Yaris Hybrid, which is Europe's first full hybrid supermini, the Prius + seven-seater full hybrid model and Prius Plug-in hatchback capable of 15.5 miles on emissions-free electric power before bringing its 1.8-litre petrol engine into play.

Completing the foursome is Toyota's new 2+2 front-engined sports coupe the GT86 which uses a 2.0-litre boxer engine to drive the rear wheels and costs from £24,995.

Mercedes-Benz is also celebrating, having recorded its strongest ever UK results for the month of July with 11.3 per cent rise and 6,568 vehicles registered.

Among the highlights was a 43.6 per cent rise recorded in July for the C-Class saloon, placing it in first place within its competitor set, while the CLS and S-Class also led their respective markets.

And Ford car sales were also up both for July and the year to date, the Fiesta being the UK best seller. Its sales for the year so far have increased from 58,338 to 67,103, compared with the same period in 2011.