TOYOTA Australia has indefinitely paused orders for hybrid variations of its fashionable Camry medium sedan following what it says is “extraordinary demand” that has seen 90 per cent of shoppers go for a petrol-electric variant.
The entry-grade Camry Ascent petrol (from $34,320 plus on-road prices) is now the one variant obtainable regionally.
The information comes regardless of earlier recommendation that considerably improved manufacturing had stemmed the provision of “most of Toyota’s new car vary”, together with the Camry hybrid. Nevertheless, Toyota says “the broad attraction and excessive degree of orders for these fuel-efficient vehicles has resulted in buyer wait occasions remaining above two years”.
“I wish to guarantee all Toyota clients that we’re doing every little thing potential to extend provide for Australia and to expedite the supply of automobiles as they arrive,” mentioned Toyota Australia vp of gross sales, advertising and marketing and franchise operations, Sean Hanley.
“Our international manufacturing groups have constantly adopted countermeasures which have improved the provision of elements affected by international shortages, reminiscent of semiconductors.
“All through this journey, we’re notably humbled that our native clients have maintained their belief in Toyota and remained loyal to our model.”
Loyal or not, Toyota’s most up-to-date “gross sales pause” will check the endurance of its clients.
A sample whereby Toyota is taking orders for extra automobiles than it could possibly provide has emerged throughout a number of mannequin traces in current occasions – together with the HiAce, HiLux, LandCruiser 70 Sequence, LandCruiser 300 Sequence and RAV4 – regardless of the corporate’s finest efforts to develop manufacturing to satisfy demand.
Toyota Australia has but to touch upon whether or not the newest order pause will have an effect on its lofty targets for 2023.
Final month, Mr Hanley advised GoAuto that Toyota Australia is on monitor to smash gross sales information, predicting second-half gross sales will drive the 2023 calendar yr complete to northward of 225,000 automobiles.
“Now that we’re nicely into the second half of the yr, I can let you know that it (provide) is simply going to get higher – and by higher, I’m speaking about our capacity to scale back wait occasions for our loyal and certainly affected person clients,” he mentioned on the time.
“Final month (August), we delivered a file 22,321 automobiles, breaking a mark set 16 years in the past. This end result was not a one-off. We’ve been capable of safe substantial manufacturing for the remainder of the yr and nicely into 2024.
“The truth is, we count on to common greater than 20,000 automobiles per 30 days for the stability of 2023.”
Within the 9 months to September 30, new Camry deliveries totalled 7130 items, of which 6490 have been hybrid variants.
12 months-to-date gross sales (to September 30) present Toyota has delivered a complete of 154,659 new automobiles to Australian clients – greater than every other producer.
Nevertheless, that quantity is down considerably on final yr’s determine of 176,410 items (-12.3 per cent), indicating maybe that the decision of a file second-half could have been considerably untimely.
2023 Toyota Camry pricing* and availability:
Ascent (a) | $34,320 | Obtainable |
Ascent Hybrid (a) | $36,820 | Not obtainable |
Ascent Sport Hybrid (a) | $39,020 | Not obtainable |
SX Hybrid (a) | $43,020 | Not obtainable |
SL Hybrid (a) | $50,320 | Not obtainable |
*Pricing excludes on-road prices.
