Toyota Camry Hybrid sold out for two years, but vows to reclaim title lost to Tesla

The Toyota Camry is on a mission to reclaim the top-selling mid-size sedan title it lost in Australia last year to the Tesla Model 3 electric car.

The Tesla Model 3 ended the Toyota Camry’s 28-year winning streak when it outsold the medium-sedan stalwart in 2022.

The surge in sales of the Tesla Model 3 came as a shock to industry observers – and to Toyota.

It turns out both Toyota and Tesla could have sold more cars had they not had production slowdowns.

Now the race is again on among the two titans of the automotive world – in one segment of a small market in Australia.

Toyota Australia says it currently has a two-year waiting list for the Toyota Camry Hybrid – and demand is not only driven by fleet and ride-share operators, with close to half of sales going to private mum and dad buyers.

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When asked if the Toyota Camry could reclaim its title of top-selling mid-size sedan in Australia this year, the sales and marketing boss of Toyota Australia, Sean Hanley, said: “Demand for Camry Hybrid is very strong.

“We feel very comfortable about how Camry Hybrid will perform in the market this year against its competitors, of which Tesla is one.”

When asked if the Toyota Camry Hybrid’s projected sales volume would be enough to reclaim the mid-size sedan title from the Tesla Model 3, Mr Hanley said: “I don’t know the answer to that question because we don’t know how many cars our competitors will sell. I just know how many we can potentially sell and it’s considerable.”