Toyota Hybrid Camry begins pilot build
August 31, 2009 by David Twomey
Toyota today moved a step closer to local production of the Hybrid Camry that it will introduce to the Australian market in February next year with the commencement of the pilot build program.
It has also indicated that it hopes the program, which is a mid-life move for the current model, will lead to the next generation Hybrid Camry also being produced in Australia.
This first step towards full production of Australia’s first locally built hybrid car was marked by an official ceremony at the company’s Altona production plant, where the Hybrid Camry will be built from December.
Victorian Premier John Brumby, Federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science & Research, Senator Kim Carr and Victorian Industry and Trade Minister Martin Pakula, in whose electorate the plant is located, joined Toyota executives to mark the historic event.
Premier Brumby and Senator Carr pushed a “power” button to officially commence pilot production.
They were flanked by Toyota Australia’s president and chief executive officer Max Yasuda, senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner and executive director manufacturing and purchasing Tatsuo Shinozaki.
In the pilot production phase, Toyota produces a small batch of vehicles to test all its processes, parts and assembly methods.
Toyota has made extensive modifications to its assembly plant and methods to accommodate the production of the Hybrid Camry, which takes significantly longer to build than a petrol powered car.
Full-scale production is due to begin in December and Hybrid Camry will go on sale in February next year.
Senator Carr said the Hybrid Camry was a significant step towards a greener, more sustainable automotive industry.
He also defended the government’s investment of $35 million from the Green Car Fund into the project saying it was necessary to get the project over the line.
Toyota will spend about $145 million in works on the plant at Altona to facilitate the production of the Hybrid Camry.
Senator Carr said the car would give drivers an Australian-built choice if they were in the market for a hybrid.
One question Toyota hasn’t yet answered is on price, but Senator Carr indicated today that he expected Toyota to be pretty sharp with its pencil when setting the cost of owning a Hybrid Camry.
He also said that while he expected quite a lot of the cars would be taken up by government and industry he expected the Hybrid Camry, unlike the Toyota Prius, would develop a strong private ownership following.
Toyota director of sales and marketing, David Buttner, told journalists at the event that he was “very hopeful” that the decision by Toyota in Japan to make Australia one of five plants to build the current Hybrid Camry would continue into the next generation car.
He acknowledged that while all of the powertrain and hybrid technology for the current car was being imported for assembly at Altona, he thought there would be a greater role for Australia’s automotive parts industry to play in a future model of the Hybrid Camry.
TMCA President and CEO, Mr Yasuda, said Toyota led the world in hybrid vehicles and was committed to remaining at the forefront of innovation and environmentally friendly technology.
He said introducing hybrid technology in Toyota’s local manufacturing was one of the most significant developments in the company’s 50-year history in Australia.
“This has the potential to change the automotive landscape forever,” Mr Yasuda said.
Mr Yasuda said Toyota was working towards a sustainable local automotive industry that supported jobs, innovation and, ultimately, a prosperous low-carbon society.
“This aligns with Toyota’s global strategy to accelerate the roll-out of eco-friendly vehicles.
“A practical demonstration of this is the introduction of new Hybrid Camry here at Altona.”
Toyota plans to produce at least 10,000 Hybrid Camrys per year for the domestic market and 300 per year for export to New Zealand.
“The strong support of both the Federal and Victorian Governments was a critical factor in our ability to secure Hybrid Camry for local production,” Mr Yasuda said.
“They helped Toyota Australia to make a convincing business case.
“A vital element was the strong desire of both levels of government to introduce new environmentally friendly technology and promote innovation within the Australian automotive industry.”
The support of Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan was a great vote of confidence in the ability of the Australian company.
“It demonstrates that our manufacturing operations can compete with the best in the world.
“We have responded to the needs of Australian motorists by introducing fuel-saving and environmentally friendly technology as a mainstream option.”
Mr Buttner said that there were about 100,000 large, locally produced six-cylinder cars sold in Australia last year.
“If those motorists had bought a Hybrid Camry instead, they could have saved more than $140 million in fuel alone,” he added.
Print it: 
…and so begins the next round of pro/anti-Toyota debating. I just hope it’s a LOT cheaper than the rip-off price TMCA want for the Prius (especially the i-Tech).
Is anyone else disappointed with the recent update of the Camry? I think it is an opportunity wasted, in the style stakes.
No Toyota is going to be visually appealing Badass. If they make an exciting and slightly adventorous car then their customer base(old people) will boycot them and they will los their place as “white goods on wheels”.
Wow – $150m of Aussie taxpayers money for a few more black plastic engine covers a two-tone LCD screen that looks like it was bought from Tandy and what looks like a Waeco Car fridge..
“Toyota plans to produce at least 10,000 Hybrid Camrys per year for the domestic market and 300 per year for export to New Zealand.”
Ummm, is that correct?
Only exporting 300 a year to NZ, I’m assuming you mean a significantly larger number.
Or perhaps NZ get the great pleasure of receiving a Limited Edition Toyota Camry, God they’d be excited.
Can you just imagine the ad campaign
The Limited Edition Toyota Camry Hybrid, now with extra weight, softer suspension, less bootspace, and only in beige.
The snob factor of a Prius, the bland-ness of a Camry.
Oh, what a feeling
The VE Commodore was Holdens Billion Dollar Baby!
The Hybrid Camry is Toyo-Oz’s Million Dollar Maybe?
Gee, they already market the Camry Hybrid in the US for about 27k US. Ripped off!
If they can only sell 300 per year in NZ, then the limit for OZ is about 4000. Where does the 10,000 come from, unless they’re going to play games with the pricing?
Yes, let’s sell it here for $27,000! While we’re at it, let’s adopt US pricing for every single car in our market that’s also sold in the US. That’ll seriously turn things topsy turvy.
Read a little deeper Captain…….
See the bit where gov fleets will be stocking up on them?????
Thats where the remnants of the 10,000 will be going.
Andrew M, there are Govt fleets in NZ as well, but the problems start when they are held accountable to taxpayers for the capital cost of what they buy, irrespective of some ‘environmental’ benefit.
When the dust settles, they buy the cheapest thing that does the job, and that won’t necessarily be a Camry Hybrid if the sums don’t work out.
Is that the battery pack in the boot??
And people whinge about LPG tanks…….
Ok, and now to make the economics not look so impressive….
A large car using 10L/100k travelling the average 15,000k’s a year will use around $2,000 of fuel a year
which makes the claimed 100,000 large vehicles using $200,000,000 in fuel each year.
The same Large LPG car will use around $1,000 per year
meaning if the 100,000 large vehicles were LPG powered they combined would cost $100,000,000 per year to fuel
Now as a counter argument, if all large cars were LPG powered, it would save consumers 100 million per year in fuel, and certainly more again in initial outlay and ongoing servicing.
Now for the suss part…..
For the Hybrid camry to save 140million in fuel over 100,000 units, it would need to return a fuel economy of 3L/100k or under.
Now since not even the smaller Prius or US spec Camry hybrid can return these figures, I find these claims a little suss
Captain,
Toyotas are certainly not the cheapest vehicles to buy hybrid or not. Do you honestly think the mass of Toyotas sitting in Gov fleets were bought at RRP???
The Hybrid Camry like the non hybrid versioned Toyotas will be sold at “mates rates”
Part of the deal was not only the Green fund grant, but also Government fleet contracts.
Dont worry, the leftovers will find their way into the Gov fleet.
If the Government just wanted the cheapest thing that does the job, why do they favour the Prius at 4 times the price of a Getz??
Andrew M, all Govt’ sales are at “mates’ rates”, but “mates rates” on a Getz are a hell of a lot less than “mates’ rates” on a Prius.”
Are you telling me that the OZ Govt buys more Priuses than Getzs? If that’s the case why do you guys allow them to be so loose with your money?
Captain,
You are a Kiwi then?????
Dunno mate, just telling it as it is.
Maybe if we had a female with testicles as PM rather than the current Milky bar kid things would be different ha ha ha ha ha.
I know all fleet sales are heavily reduced and wasnt implying that only certain manufacturers reduce prices. Some do reduce more than others relying on volume to make up the profit lost from the higher margin when selling less though.
All I can say is if the fleet market is already heavy with Toyotas, why would this one not also follow the path???
Gov doesnt give 2 toss’s about what stuff costs.
Vehicle purchase prices is just the tip of the iceberg. If I told you what Contractors charge for works when the Gov is footing the bill you wouldnt believe me.
Gov departments also have to spend their budgets and more otherwise their funding will be reduced the next year.
Some of the stories ive been told we are better off not knowing otherwise we would all be on the step of parliment with pitch forks.
I hear what you are saying about we shouldnt let them be so loose etc, but when has the nation ever stood up and put the Gov under scrutiny???
I agree we should, but a handfull of people that know whats going on realisticlly wont change things.
Most people care more about the controversy on The Biggest Loser than what affects their own lives
Agree wif ya Shak, but the only visible change I can see is an LED strip in the tail lights. And if possible, it looks worse than it did before.
“Federal Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science & Research, Senator Kim Carr”
I never see this muppet doing press for anything other than our expensive, unproductive and overrated manufacturing industry.
Where are the promotions and major government assistance to industries that are actually profitable like O&G? Minerals? Nanotechnology? Medicine?
Camry – pffffffffffffff, I would rather drive a bucket on wheels.
Realist,
I dont think the mass of people employed in the manufacturing industry think it is overrated.
I will say though its good to see you not just single out the automotive side for once
Hybrid Camry,proof the Prius is a gimmik.
Wheelnut, they only mention $35 million of government funding for this project in the article. Where did you get the figure for the remaining $115 million?
All sales going to the State and Federal fleet…another cheecky way toyota earned some cash without doing anything, while ford and GM hurdle into a corner….
there is camry hybrid on sale in Thailand about a month a go..It’s about 4 L/ 100kms… Impressive.( In thailand camry looks like aurion in australia)
The Realist,
Overrated and “unproductive” Manufacturing sector?
That sounds very wankaish of you.
So you are saying “stuff” the production workers, and lets highlight the scientists, white colar workers instead?
Thats the impression I got.
Australia’s workforce is made of a very very big chunk of production/manufacturing industry. They allow families to be fed, they allow lives to be lived… they give jobs to people! Not just here but globally, manufacturing/production is one of the biggest employment sectors. Not everyone can be desk jockeys and be pencil pushers 40 hours a week.
And no Im not in manufacturing, but my line of work is corelated to it… just found your comments very shallow, naive and grossly uneducated.
And its funny you said, medicine is profitable…. commercially? or research? commercially, do you know medical equipments are manufactured overseas hence they are very expensive, getting them manufactured here will recuce costs. Research?… any form of research unless for “cost reduction” is money spend… No profit there….
Gas?… like mining?…. gas is still processed and “manufactured” in a sense… so you dont make sense.
“Overrated and “unproductive” Manufacturing sector?
That sounds very wankaish of you.”
It’s true mate – deal with it. Amongst the highest wages in the OECD, but lowest productivity, and without government handouts can’t survive. That’s not positive in way shape or form.
“So you are saying “stuff” the production workers, and lets highlight the scientists, white colar workers instead?
Thats the impression I got.”
Each production worker in manufacturing produces far less man to man than any blue collar worker who works in remote locations in the toughest conditions possible for the Rio Tintos and Woodsides of the world. Stop talking like a union hack and look at what I wrote.
“Australia’s workforce is made of a very very big chunk of production/manufacturing industry. They allow families to be fed, they allow lives to be lived… they give jobs to people! Not just here but globally, manufacturing/production is one of the biggest employment sectors. Not everyone can be desk jockeys and be pencil pushers 40 hours a week.”
Like I just said perhaps you need to check the amount of revenue raised on a per worker basis for those in O&G and minerals against those in manufacturing.
I wasn’t commenting on global manufacturing bud, only Australian. Globally countries like Germany, Japan and South Korea can teach us a thing or two about productivity.
“Families to be fed”? You’re starting to sound like the typical Labor union hack mate. BTW union muppets are the laziest slugs in Australia.
“And no Im not in manufacturing, but my line of work is corelated to it… just found your comments very shallow, naive and grossly uneducated.”
Laughable, considering you seem to be totally clueless about what industries make profits and can stand on their own two feet. Did you realise international students make more money in Oz than manufacturing – a bit embarrassing isn’t it? You need to get educated mate – we will never be competitive in manufacturing.
“And its funny you said, medicine is profitable…. commercially? or research? commercially, do you know medical equipments are manufactured overseas hence they are very expensive, getting them manufactured here will recuce costs. Research?… any form of research unless for “cost reduction” is money spend… No profit there…. “
Production pharmaceuticals (including medicine) is profitable here.
“Gas?… like mining?…. gas is still processed and “manufactured” in a sense… so you dont make sense.”
Gas is not “manufactured in a sense” you imbecile – it’s processed. Next thing you know you’ll be saying the Hope Downs iron ore process plant is manufacturing, or the Olympic Dam uranium solvent extraction system is manufacturing.
$150, Million. PPFFFTTT, that’s nothing. China just invested $50, BILLION to suck gas out of Australia. Unless Toyota make a gas hybrid soon it will outdated before the first Camry rolls off the production line.
Kia might already have the gas hybrid Cerato here with the price starting in the early $20’s
Toyota already have the technology to produce a gas hybrid. They showed a concept at the L.A Auto Show last year.
TS,
It is liquefied natural gas (LNG) not LPG. Similar but different technology. Still will find it’s way into mainstream transport in time though.
So has KRudd invested in the wrong technology? I wonder if he had known that China would invest so much into Australia would he have asked Toyota for a gas Hybrid?