Toyota Australia Manufactures 3 Millionth Vehicle

Toyota Australia marks the production of its 3 millionth vehicle with a ceremony at its Altona plant in Melbourne as the milestone vehicle, a Camry Hybrid, rolls off the assembly line.

The auto maker has had manufacturing operations for almost 50 years in Australia, the first country outside Japan to build Toyota models.

Toyota has made a direct investment of about A$1.5 billion ($1.58 billion) in the Australian operation since 2004. It employs more than 4,000 people.

The first Australian-built Toyota, a Tiara, was produced in April 1963. Today, the auto maker produces Camry, Camry Hybrid and Aurion sedans for the domestic and overseas markets.

Exports, now accounting for about 75% of local production, began in 1986 to New Zealand, followed by the Middle East in 1996.

New-generation versions of Toyota's locally built cars have been launched in the past year. The seventh-generation Camry went on sale in late 2011, while the second-generation Camry Hybrid and Aurion models debuted this year.

It took Toyota more than 29 years to produce 1 million cars in Australia, another 12 years to build the second million and just eight years for the third.

In another milestone this year, Camry marks 25 years as a locally built model with 1.8 million vehicles produced since 1987. More than 1 million Camrys have been exported, mainly to the Middle East.

In 1963, local production of Toyota cars was the responsibility of Australian Motor Industries (later AMI-Toyota) at its Port Melbourne plant. AMI-Toyota merged with commercial-vehicle distributor Thiess Toyota in 1989 to form Toyota Australia.

The first Toyota engine plant built outside Japan opened in 1979.

Toyota Australia Sales and Marketing Executive Director Matthew Callachor says Australia has contributed prominently to the auto maker’s growth and success.

“It was here in Australia that Toyota first tasted international success – the first country outside Japan to produce Toyota cars and to build a Toyota engine manufacturing plant," Callachor says in a statement.

“Australia was the first Toyota affiliate outside Japan to export Camry, and today we are among just five countries entrusted with building hybrid cars.”

A A$330 million ($347.4 million) redevelopment of the Altona engine plant is due to come on stream next month with production of 4-cyl. gasoline engines for the Camry and Camry Hybrid, as well as for export to other Toyota affiliates.