Toyota’s Greenest Camry Surpasses Prius In Australian Hybrid Sales
Toyota's new Camry Hybrid, now into the nameplate's second generation, has surpassed the Prius hatch as the company's most popular hybrid model in Australia. Local sales of the Australian-built Camry Hybrid have now passed 20
Toyota's new Camry Hybrid, now into the nameplate's second generation, has surpassed the Prius hatch as the company's most popular hybrid model in Australia.
Local sales of the Australian-built Camry Hybrid have now passed 20,000 since the first-generation model launched in 2010, compared to a total of 18,000 Prius hatch sales.
The Camry Hybrid's success, combined with sales of the growing range of petrol-electric Prius and Lexus models, has pushed Toyota Australia's hybrid sales beyond the 50,000 mark this week.
The development proves that while some carmakers continue to shy away from hybrids, it's a concept that is finding favour among buyers.
VFACTS new car sales figures prove the growing popularity of hybrid models, with sales up a huge 600 percent in December 2012, and up 160 percent for the 2012 calendar year.
"The rapid upturn in hybrid sales is the biggest shift the market has witnessed in generations," TMR Managing Editor Tim O'Brien wrote in January.
"No corner of the car market, not even when the shift began to SUVs, has witnessed a J-curve such as we are seeing in hybrid sales."
And it's not just fleet sales. In 2012, 13,879 hybrids were sold in Australia - 6040 to private buyers, and 7839 in non-private sales.
Toyota & Lexus Hybrid Sales for Australia TOTAL 50,475 TOYOTA 41,946 Camry 20,087 Prius 18,168 Prius c 2,500 Prius v 1,191 LEXUS 8,529 RX 4,535 CT 200h 3,026 GS 846 LS 122