Toyota Sells 50000[sup]th[/sup] Hybrid Car in Australia
Apr 10, 2013 By Toyota Australia.
** Camry Hybrid overtakes Prius **
Toyota has just sold its 50,000th hybrid car in Australia with the locally built Camry Hybrid now found in more Australian homes than the iconic Prius.
Toyota dealers have sold almost 42,000 petrol-electric hybrid cars in Australia while their Lexus counterparts have delivered a further 8,500, for a combined total of 50,475.
Cumulative sales of Camry Hybrid passed 20,000 during March, a total achieved in just over three years since sales of the first-generation Australian-built car began in early 2010.
Prius - the world's best-selling hybrid car - is now in its third generation with more than 18,000 sold in Australia since the nameplate was introduced here in 2001.
Sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrid cars in Australia have accelerated over time as the range has expanded. It took until 2008 to pass 10,000 sales and a further two years to pass the 20,000 mark.
Over the past three years, demand has surged to an annual average of 10,000 hybrids due to the launch of the Australian-built Camry Hybrid and last year's arrival of the Prius c city car and the seven-seat Prius v.
The growth in local demand for hybrids mirrors their international appeal. Last year, global Toyota and Lexus hybrid sales passed one million in a year for the first time and the cumulative total is close to five million.
Toyota Australia's executive director sales and marketing Matthew Callachor said the sale of the group's 50,000th hybrid car in Australia was evidence the technology had become a popular alternative.
"Hybrid cars are now regarded as a mainstream choice for local motorists due to a combination of their performance and excellent fuel economy," Mr Callachor said.
'We achieved record Toyota and Lexus hybrid sales last year of more than 13,000 cars in Australia - an increase of 64.8 per cent over the previous year.
'Local customers bought more than 10,000 Toyota hybrids in a year for the first time - or almost five per cent of the company's total sales.
'On their own, Toyota's hybrids would have outsold 50 other marques last year, including Chrysler, Citro?n, Peugeot, Renault and Volvo.
'In addition, Lexus sold 2,307 hybrid vehicles in 2012, or more than one-third of its total sales,' Mr Callachor said.
TOYOTA GROUP HYBRID SALES AUSTRALIA*
<tbody>
<tr> <th>
TOTAL <td>
50,475
<tr> <th>TOYOTA <td>41,946
<tr> <th>Camry <td>20,087
<tr> <th>Prius <td>18,168
<tr> <th>Prius c <td>2,500
<tr> <th>Prius v <td>1,191
<tr> <th/>LEXUS <td>8,529
<tr> <th>RX <td>4,535
<tr> <th>CT 200h <td>3,026
<tr> <th>GS <td>846
<tr> <th>LS <td>122
</tbody>
* To March 31, 2013