Toyota Oz racks up 2.5 million

TOYOTA last week produced its two-and-a-half millionth car in Australia – a white Camry Grande that was driven off the production line at the company’s Altona manufacturing plant in Melbourne.

More than 650,000 of the 2.5 million vehicles produced by Toyota Australia in 45 years have been exported – mainly to the Middle East.

The Camry continues to be the only four-cylinder vehicle produced in Australia and, along with the six-cylinder Aurion sedan, saw Toyota build almost 150,000 cars here in 2007 – up more than 35,000 on its previous production record, set in 2003.

Last year, Toyota Australia exports numbered 97,688, earning a claimed $1.7 billion in revenue. Toyota says it has invested more than $1 billion since 2002 at Altona, which is claimed to invest more than $1 billion with local suppliers annually and employs about 3500 workers.

Toyota has built nine models in Australia, starting in 1963 with the1.5-litre four-cylinder Tiara. It was followed by the Crown, Corona, Corolla, Camry, Avalon and Aurion, as well as the Corolla-based Nova and Camry-based Apollo for Holden.

Beginning in 1963, it took almost 30 years for Toyota to produce its first million vehicles in Australia. Its second million was produced in 12 years and the last 500,000 vehicles rolled off the line in just four years.

Of the 2.5 million total, Camry is by far the most successful production model, with 1.3 million examples being more double that of any other model. Last year Toyota built 37,040 Aurions and a new Camry record of 111,891 cars.

Prior to 1992 when Altona opened, Toyota manufactured vehicles at plants in Port Melbourne and Dandenong.

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