A decade ago it felt like Toyota were giving away Camrys in cereal packs to support local manufacturing. And a hybrid Camry was the main prize. Now Toyota Australia have paused order-taking for Camry hybrid variants due to extraordinary demand that has seen 90 per cent of customers of the popular mid-size sedan opt for the petrol-electric models.
Now let’s take step back, the market for hybrid Camrys is no longer the golden pot of honey it was when local manufacturing still existed (if it was ever was). Toyota have only sold 7,130 YTD (6,490 were hybrid variants) compared to 2012 when they sold 27,230 during the year.
Despite substantially improved supply since May across most of Toyota’s new-vehicle range, including Camry hybrid, the broad appeal and high level of orders for these fuel-efficient cars has resulted in customer wait times remaining above two years.
Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations Sean Hanley said the order pause decision demonstrated the company’s commitment to transparency by adopting measures that respect the deep trust placed in the Toyota brand by our customers.
“I want to assure all Toyota customers that we are doing everything possible to increase supply for Australia and to expedite delivery of vehicles as they arrive,” Mr Hanley said.
“Our global production teams have consistently adopted countermeasures that have improved the supply of components affected by global shortages, such as semiconductors,” he said.
“Throughout this journey, we are particularly humbled that our local customers have maintained their trust in Toyota and remained loyal to our brand,” he said.
