History-Making Award for Toyota Camry Hybrid
Nov 27, 2012 By Toyota Australia.
Toyota's
Camry Hybrid (Camry H) has made history by becoming the first Australian-built hybrid car to win an influential Australia's Best Cars award.
The most affordable Camry Hybrid, Camry H has been judged 2012 Best Medium Car under $50,000 - winning against 20 other models in a highly competitive market.
The victory is a significant breakthrough for hybrid cars, which deliver substantial power while achieving excellent fuel economy through the combination of a petrol engine and an electric motor.
It is the second major award in a week for the Camry Hybrid range, which was also voted the carsales.com.au People's Choice Best Green Car for 2012.
Australia's Best Cars is determined by expert judges from the leading motoring clubs who praised the Toyota's dynamics, performance, design, fuel efficiency and value.
'In many ways, the new Camry Hybrid is the most rounded, best value vehicle of its type to hit the Australian market,' the judges said.
The award for Camry H is the result of Australia's most comprehensive and independent consumer-focused vehicle testing and award program.
Vehicles undergo rigorous testing and analysis, including hundreds of kilometres of road tests that incorporate some of the country's harshest roads.
They are analysed and measured on a range of criteria, including handling, safety, security and value.
Toyota's executive director sales and marketing Matthew Callachor said success for Camry H is a great boost to the local car manufacturing sector and to more than 4,000 Australians employed by Toyota.
'Toyota is proud that it has pioneered hybrid technology globally and, in particular, hybrid manufacturing in Australia,' Mr Callachor said.
'Toyota has also invested heavily to provide the required skills, equipment, manufacturing processes and training - all of which has resulted in the award-winning Camry Hybrid.'
Mr Callachor said Camry is the only hybrid vehicle produced in Australia - and it even outsells Prius, the world's best-selling hybrid, in this market.
'This award means that Australia's motoring clubs recognise that the Camry Hybrid range delivers advances in dynamic performance, refinement and efficiency.
"Chief among Camry Hybrid's strengths is an unrivalled combination of spirited power and seamless acceleration while using substantially less fuel,' he said.
Camry Hybrid is powered by Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive (tm) technology, including a 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a high-torque electric motor with combined maximum power of 151kW.
Fuel consumption is just 5.2 litres/100km, with carbon-dioxide emissions of 121 grams/km[sup]*[/sup] - figures that are better than many small and compact cars that have considerably smaller and less powerful engines.
The Camry H award coincides with Toyota selling more than one million hybrid vehicles globally in 2012 - the first time it has achieved that level of sales in a year.
In Australia, sales of Toyota-branded hybrid vehicles have increased more than 50 per cent so far this year.
The latest Camry Hybrid was launched in February. The Prius hatch was refreshed about the same time and was followed by the introduction of the Prius c city car and the seven-seat Prius v.
*Fuel consumption and emissions will vary depending on driving conditions / style, vehicle conditions and options / accessories. Source of fuel consumption data: ADR81/02.