2010 Toyota Hybrid Camry Officially Unveiled

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Dec 11, 2009
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TOYOTA AUSTRALIA today unveiled the 2010 Hybrid Camry at a ceremony at the company's Altona assembly plant.

Today's ceremony, which was attended by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, Victorian Premier John Brumby and the Japanese ambassador Takaahi Kojima,  marks the official start of full Hybrid Camry production, with sales to commence in February next year.

The most technologically advanced car to be built at its Altona assembly plant in Melbourne, securing approval for local manufacture of the Hybrid Camry was hailed as a major coup for Toyota Australia.

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Senior State and Federal Government officials and Toyota Australia executives had negotiated with Toyota Japan since 2007 to bring Hybrid Camry production to Australia, eventually getting the green light in June 2008.

With production volumes estimated to top 10,000 Hybrid Camrys each year (of which the Victorian Government has already committed to buying 2000), Toyota Australia sees the start of local hybrid production as a boon for the company.

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"The support of Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan was a great vote of confidence in the ability of our company," Toyota Australia President and CEO, Max Yasuda said.

 
 

"We want to build a sustainable industry that provides innovative and attractive vehicles for our customers and a technology and manufacturing base that attracts on-going investment."

"We will have the unique advantage in our market of producing and selling a four-cylinder hybrid family car.

"It will enable every household across the country to have the opportunity of having a locally built hybrid in their driveway."

 

After Japan, Thailand and the United States, Australia is the fourth country to commence production of the Hybrid Camry.

Australia is also the fifth country in the world to build a mass-market hybrid car and, according to Prime Minister Kevid Rudd, local assembly of the Hybrid Camry will bring many benefits to the Australian car industry.

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"This is the beginning of a whole new era in Australian motoring," Mr Rudd said.

"The Australian Government is pleased to support the production of the Toyota  Hybrid Camry in Australia in partnership with the Victorian Government.

"It's good for the environment and critical for supporting jobs in the automotive sector, jobs which have disappeared around the world through the global economic recession and the global financial crisis.

"Production of the Hybrid Camry is expected to inject around $90 million into the Victorian and South Australian automotive parts industry, and will create new jobs at Toyota's suppliers."

 

Toyota won the first $35 million grant issued from the Federal Government's $1.3 billion Green Car Innovation Fund to help bring production of the Hybrid Camry to Australia. The Victorian Government also contributed $15 million towards the Hybrid Camry project.

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New Zealand has been confirmed as an initial export market for the model (recieving just 300 cars in the first year of production), however there's no word on whether Altona-built Hybrid Camrys will be sent to the lucrative Middle-Eastern market.

With roughly 60 percent of domestic Camry production presently destined for the Arabian Gulf, the Australian-built hybrid model may also be sent overseas in high volumes. However, it will be competing with factories in Thailand and Japan, where the Hybrid Camry is also produced, for access to these markets.

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Although the car itself is assembled locally, the Hybrid Camry's 140kW 2.4 litre petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain is fully imported from Japan, along with other hybrid-specific technology.

Official specifications have yet to be released, however the Hybrid Camry is expected to consume between 6.0 - 6.2 litres of petrol on the combined cycle and be faster and handle better than existing Camry models.

Toyota claims commuters could potentially save as much at least 1100 litres of fuel each year by driving a Hybrid Camry.

Final pricing and specification details will be announced closer to the car's launch, but sources say the price differential between the Hybrid Camry and a similarly-specced Camry Ateva will be under $4000, putting the Hybrid Camry's pricetag around the $35,000 mark.


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Comments

  • Adrian [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    Hardly anything specail about this being made in Australia... Because the Hybrid-specific parts are only installed over here... Rest of it the same as the regular range
  • Steven A [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    Hardly special is right!.
    Toyota should stop showing off about nothing and start building zero emission vehicles like Mitsubishi and go full electric.
  • Matt J [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    All I have to say this quote this as some one wrote in the Skoda Supurb story today:

    "I see that the new much heralded "green" Toyota Camry has been announced . The Australian Govt (that's you and me matey) gave Toyota $100m to develop this "miracle". The motor (both petrol & electric) have come from Japan so I guess we developed the bolts to attach them. The fuel economy is declared as 8.8 litres to 100km - not bad. Wait a minute, my Skoda Superb 2.0 TDI averaged 4.9 on a highway trip to Sydney two weeks ago. I only get 5.5 around town though. Thanks Skoda - maybe the company should present one to the Government."

    To me I heard on the radio the car is built in this country with the technology made here too. Now I read parts from Japan and other places and think this is a crock of crap. Sorry guys - I must say - an Australian BUILT car would sell better then and Australian CONSTRUCTED car. Very good advertising if that's the way Toyota Australia are going to go..... :/
  • daviepops [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    "HYBRID" is a complete con trick being pushed by Toyota in a vain attempt to sound environmentally responsible ... the truth is most diesel cars sold here already have much better fuel consumption figures ... the same is true for many petrol engines, my non hybrid Skoda Octavia 1.8 TSI averages 6.5 litres per 100 km ... Toyota are very quiet about the fact that their hero hybrid Prius will actually travel less than 2 km on electric power alone.
  • Mark [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    I still don't understand the grant.

    For a call that is already released in Japan, USA and Thailand, why does Toyota get a $35million cash injection for a World Car. It's not like the car was engineered in Australia!

    Well done Mr Rudd. Toyota's CEO must be very happy.
  • George [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    Where do the batteries go once there life is up?
  • mick [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    There is a place for hybrid petrol cars, they need to be made.
    Here's why.
    most crude oils yield between 10% to 30% diesel.
    That is a fact of nature.
    If everyone went diesel we would need at least twice the crude we now use. And what about the other 70% ie petrol do we just dump it?
    As for so called zero emission all electric cars, what a laugh.
    They are probably more polluting it's just that all the CO2 produced is back at some coal fired power station.
  • Shifter [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    Top Gear tonight (a repeat of an older episode I think) featured the Honda FCX hydrogen fuel cell car. The in car emissions are zero, the compressed hydrogen costs about the same as petrol, a three minute session at the bowser allows 250 miles or so. I feel so much better about this as the technology of the future to be putting research and development dollars into rather than obviously inefficient hybrid or full electric plug in cars which go slow and not very far at all. Downside of hydrogen is the energy required to separate the hydrogen I suppose and the high cost of the vehicle up front, hopefully should come down drastically over time. Car only available in California at the moment but definitely something to watch in the future.
  • vrx26 [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    The car would not appeal for most but we should not only look at the car itself but the economic gains it will bring. This would ensure jobs for most guys out there and their plan to export this car to other countries would bring more economic gains. It's not a big leap per se in fuel saving technology but it's a start. There are other greener options like hydrogen or full electric but the thing is this technology are not yet fully developed and commercialized so I think it would come at a bigger cost. Petrol electric hybrid seems to be the only technolgy that its quite accessible at the moment. I guess will still have to wait a bit longer to really see other more viable and more exciting options to replace current petrol and diesel cars and no matter what, people will stil buy this kind a car.
  • Ellimist [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    My C30 T5 gets 9.4 to the hundred on the sticker and something closer to 9.0 in actual usage. not bad from a 5 cylinder turbo petrol.

    whats the hybrid part for when normal petrol cars of similar size and weight already get well under their figures?

    what a waste of tax payer dollars.
  • LandLubber [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    Who said the Camry hybrid gets 8.8l/100km? That's the figure for the standard all-petrol Camry, not the hybrid!

    If you read the article:

    "Official specifications have yet to be released, however the Hybrid Camry is expected to consume between 6.0 - 6.2 litres of petrol on the combined cycle."

    That's not bad in my book. A lot of Euro diesels of a similar size might be able to equal 6.2 l/100km, but I doubt any of them could equal the Camry hybrid on price (est $35,000)
  • Shifter [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    Landlubber, the article author must have changed the figure after seeing these comments because I too recall it saying 8.8 and was totally underwhelmed. Still underwhelmed at 6.2 but for Toyota it is an improvement.
  • Tony D [reply]
    8 months ago 0 points
    Regarding hydrogen, to actually make that stuff in the first place uses large amounts of resources (eg electricity), so it's not exactly some super-fuel for a greener future either...

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