Today I’m down in Altona – on the outskirts of Melbourne – at Toyota’s manufacturing plant for official launch of the Hybrid Camry. There are robots, politicians and fluoro yellow safety vests everywhere!
The Hybrid Camry, which is being built in Toyota’s Altona plant for the Australian, Middle East and New Zealand Markets, is expected to go on sale in February next year. Today, the company began pilot production with the symbolic act of pressing a giant power button.
The car itself will have a 20% fuel efficiency benefit over the current Camry, which is also manufactured in Altona. Full production of the Camry Hybrid will begin in December in the Toyota factory that has been thoroughly overhauled in order to be able to produce the new car.
The plan, once the car goes into mass production, is to produce 10,000 Camry Hybrids per year for Australia, and 300 per year for New Zealand. It’s the next stage in Toyota’s plan to have a Hybrid model in every car range by the 2020s. In the next four years, Toyota plan on adding another 6 car ranges running on Hybrid power – some new, some enhancements on the current line.
In terms of environmental impact, Toyota reckon that the Camry Hybrid will save $10 a week on fuel for the average car user, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by a tonne.