Toyota today confirmed that it will produce a hybrid version of its Camry sedan in Australia from 2010.
Only car nerds will be able to pick the hybrid Camry (top) from the outside; a gauge informs all and sundry where your power is coming from (bottom)
The Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, has been on a whirlwind five day tour around Japan. This morning he and the President of Toyota, Ken Watanabe, announced that Toyota Australia will commence building a hybrid version of its Camry sedan in Australia from 2010.
This has been the news that Toyota Australia executives, greenies and — if they exist — Toyota fans have been waiting for. Because hybrid technology isn't cheap, specifically the batteries, the Australian and Victorian government has dangled some cash carrots to get Toyota's boardroom over the line. In today's press conference, Prime Minister Rudd confirmed that Toyota Australia will receive AU$35 million of federal funding from its "green car innovation fund".
How much more would you pay for a hybrid Camry?
He previously committed the federal government to purchasing 4,000 hybrids for its vehicle fleet over the next decade. His state counterpart, Victorian Premier John Brumby, at a seperate press conference in Australia, stated that his state will purchase 2,000 hybrid Camrys over two years.
Toyota Australia is aiming to produce 10,000 hybrid Camrys annually. Pricing and the volume of hybrid Camrys to be exported are questions that have yet to be answered. No mention has been made of whether the Camry's hybrid drivetrain will be produced locally or imported from overseas.
The current generation Camry is the second to have a hybrid option and is currently produced, and sold, in Japan and America. It pairs an "eco" version of the 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine found in run-of-the-mill Camrys with an electric motor, battery pack and continuously variable transmission. During spirited driving, the petrol and electric engines work together to provide 143kW of power. However when at a standstill or under light acceleration the car runs on battery power alone, with the battery being recharged during coasting. According to official U.S. figures it should sip 7.1L/100km — a normal manual four-cylinder Camry drinks 8.9L/100km.
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Dev
11/06/2008 12:03 AM
The enconmy figures of 7.1L/100km are not enough to excite me. I will wait for a Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PHEV).
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Sym
11/06/2008 12:45 PM
My old barina gets better fuel mileage than that. I don't see why they can't be fully electric, the General Motors Evo was and that was years ago now and they scrapped it. With improvements in batteries the need for a hybid is gone but if the large companies need to make money then a hydrogen electric is an alternative. Clean and never ending fuel source.
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elliots
11/06/2008 01:10 PM
Electric car huh? And where will we get the power to charge that car? In Australia... probably coal.
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n3mi
16/06/2008 03:13 PM
The car will charge itself..
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Peter137
30/08/2008 04:27 PM
The Government should refuse to purchase Toyota "Hybrid" EV's. Insist on "Plug-in" Hybrid EV's. They are at least 120% more fuel efficient. The technology and batteries are available. Refer to the NRMA Jamison Report, and www.pluginamerica.org/
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