Toyota Hybrids Gaining Sales Momentum in Australia

Sales of Toyota hybrid vehicles hit 50,000 units in Australia, where the locally built Camry Hybrid is in more garages than the iconic Prius.

Toyota dealers have sold 41,946 gasoline-electric hybrid cars in Australia, while Lexus luxury models added 8,529 deliveries for a combined total of 50,475.

The auto maker says cumulative Camry Hybrid deliveries passed 20,000 units last month, a total reached in a little more than three years since sales of the first-generation Australian-built car began in early 2010.

Prius is in its third generation with 18,168 sold in Australia since the nameplate was introduced Down Under in 2001.

Sales of Toyota and Lexus hybrids in Australia have accelerated over time as the range has expanded. It took until 2008 to pass 10,000 units and just another two years to pass the 20,000 mark.

Over the past three years, sales have climbed 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 7-seat Prius v.

Toyota Australia Sales and Marketing Executive Director Matthew Callachor says reaching the 50,000-unit mark is evidence that hybrid technology has become a popular alternative.

“Hybrid cars now are regarded as a mainstream choice for local motorists due to a combination of their performance and excellent fuel economy,” Callachor says in a statement.

Toyota and Lexus hybrid deliveries in Australia last year jumped 64.8% to more than 13,000 units. Local customers for the first time bought more than 10,000 Toyota hybrids in a year, or almost 5% of the auto maker’s total sales in the country.

“On their own, Toyota's hybrids would have outsold 50 other marques last year, including Chrysler, Citroen, Peugeot, Renault and Volvo,” Callachor says. “In addition, Lexus sold 2,307 hybrid vehicles in 2012, or more than one-third of its total sales.”