Toyota ends 54 years of vehicle production in Australia with a parting gift of A$32 million ($25 million).
As the last vehicle – the 3,451,115th – rolled out of its Altona plant outside Melbourne, Toyota Australia Chairman Max Yasuda announced the creation of the Toyota Community Trust. He says the trust will provide long-term benefits to the Australian community, in particular helping young Australians realize their potential.
“The trust will enable us to create new beginnings for young people and provide all employees, especially those who are leaving today, with another reason to be proud of their time with Toyota,” Yasuda says in a statement.
The trust will focus on initiatives that help students overcome financial barriers to pursuing further study; create quality learning experiences; foster STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) teaching skills; and address gaps between available courses and potential jobs.
Grants awarded from the trust will be funded through earnings from the endowment.
About 3,000 people attended the closing ceremony at the Altona plant, including current and former employees, suppliers, affiliate companies and officials from Toyota in Japan.
The end of manufacturing sees the number of Toyota employees drop from 3,900 to about 1,300. The head office remains based in Port Melbourne and most of the Altona manufacturing site will be retained for new and relocated functions.
“Altona will house our expanded design and engineering capabilities,” Toyota Australia President Dave Buttner says. “Our 150-strong team are in great demand by Toyota affiliates around the globe.”
Toyota has been Australia’s biggest-selling brand for the past 14 years, and the transition to a national sales and distribution company will see the consolidation of all its corporate functions from Sydney to Melbourne by Jan. 1.
Buttner says Toyota will continue to be the country’s leading automotive brand, retaining the existing dealer network of more than 270 sites.
Toyota Global President Akio Toyoda, via video, expressed his appreciation to the employees, suppliers, customers and the local community who supported Toyota’s manufacturing development in Australia.
“From the bottom of my heart I wish you and your families happiness in the future,” he says.
Buttner told departing employees the company will be there to support them.
“When we launched the DRIVE (dedicated, ready, individual, vocational and energized) program in 2014, its purpose was to ensure you are all in the best possible position to find a new job in the future,” he says. “These services will remain until the middle of next year.”
More than 2,200 employees have taken part in the program to help prepare for their future.
It offers a range of career management and transition support services, including setting career goals, the creation of career plans, jobs skills training and further education, assistance in obtaining information on other industries, career days and job-seeking support.
Australia was the first country outside Japan to produce Toyota cars, starting with the Tiara in 1963. It also was the first country outside Japan to build Toyota engines, starting in 1979.
The Camry was the most successful model in Australia. Production to Oct. 3 was 2,117,808 units, plus 50,296 hybrid variants for a total of 2,168,104. Australia was the first country outside Japan to export the Camry.
Toyota has exported more vehicles from Australia than any other automaker with 1,324,991 units. The largest export market was the Middle East, which took 1,245,914 units.
Its highest year of production was 2007 when it built 148,931 units.
Ford Australia ended manufacturing operations Oct. 7, 2016, almost a year to the day before Toyota Australia’s assembly line stopped for good. Holden, General Motors’ Australian subsidiary, is to end local builds Oct. 20, lowering the curtain on car production Down Under.
