Toyota Camry 2009 News

This will go down in automotive history as one of the weirdest automotive recalls of all time.

That's the showroom tag for the Toyota Camry hybrid, which finally hits the road today.  The hybrid is being pitched as the flagship in the Camry range, from the way it looks to a cabin that is claimed to set a new standard for quietness in a locally-made car. The hybrid bottom line is fuel economy of 6 litres/100km, with performance that trims a full second from the petrol-powered Camry's 0-100km/h time.  The $36,990 pricetag compares to $29,990 for a basic Camry Altise, or $39,990 for a Prius hybrid. The basic details of the Camry hybrid have been public since the car was introduced in 2006 in the USA, but there has been a lot of work on 'Australianising' the car, both for production and driving.  "Right from day one we knew that the American version wasn't going to work," says Phil King, who headed local chassis tuning work. The result is a car which is more responsive, as well as packing a full suite of safety gear.  The Camry hybrid picks up the vast majority of its mechanical package from the third-generation Prius, which went on sale last year, although it has a 2.4-litre engine (up from 1.8) and still has a drive belt for the water pump, unlike the Prius. Full details of the pricing, equipment and sales plan will be revealed later today. But Toyota Australia is already trumpeting six airbags, ESP stability control, active steering assistance and a special power cut-off.  But the boot has taken a hit to fit the onboard battery system. "This hybrid can walk, and chew gum," says Peter Evans, technical chief for Toyota's imported cars.  More details later, together with a first driving impression.

It's not a car, it's a rose, and it was bred to celebrate the arrival of the new green machine.Work on the rose began years ago, with professional breeder Tom Carruth briefed on everything from colours to the need for a sturdy plant suited to Australian conditions.It's no surprise that the hybrid rose has long white buds that open to a red interior - copying Toyota's red-and-white corporate colours - or that it is quick to flower after it has been dead-headed.The first 150 plants were given away to special guests at the hybrid Camry — the car, not the rose — preview last week and it will supplied through Swane's Nurseries Australia.Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!

We know because Toyota has just confirmed early deliveries of its new green hero car, the plug-in Prius, to 'significant markets' and Australia has made the list.We are rated by Toyota on the same level as Japan, the USA and several  major European countries, although no-one at Toyota Australia is going  into too much detail following confirmation of the plug-in plan by  sales and marketing chief Dave Buttner.He leaked the news during the press preview program for the Camry hybrid at Altona last week, just minutes after Prime Minister Kevin Rudd stood in front of the car in a 21st century re-make of the scene when Ben Chifley introduced Australia to the 48-215 Holden.So it was a big day on a couple of fronts.  The plug-in Prius is a big deal because it signals everything from Toyota's decision to move on from basic hybrids to the company's shift  to a lithium-ion battery pack. They are landmark decisions by a company that is leading the world down the hybrid road.The first plug-ins should land in Australia next year and, based on the program for Japan and the USA, they will go to government agencies and educational institutions. So they are more like a science experiment than a real car for ordinary customers.And that's another topic that came up with Toyota in the past week.  The company has gone badly backwards in Australia over the past year, losing 2.5 percentage points of market share and contributing roughly 40 per cent of the sales downturn since the GFC.Worse still, from Toyota's perspective, much of the ground has been lost to the Korean companies, Hyundai and Kia.  That's great for car buyers, who are getting great deals from the  Koreans, but Toyota is plotting a comeback plan and that could be even better news for anyone in a showroom in the next couple of years.Follow Paul Gover on Twitter!

There's a two-year waiting list of 60 buyers for the $580,00 Ferrari F458 Italia, and luxury brands BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi also had strong sales months.  But its just not the high end of the car market seeing good times return.   New car sales rose 20 per cent last month compared to last November.Bargain buys and the Federal Government's small business tax break for new vehicles are driving sales.  Among the star cars last month were the Holden Cruze, Toyota Corolla, Hyundai i30 and Mazda Mazda3 - all with starting prices around $20,000.Toyota's workhorse HiLux ute was the best-seller for the month, clocking up 4230 sales largely because of the small business incentive package.  More than 85,000 new vehicles hit the road, up 14,000 vehicles compared to November last year.Many businesses are in a last-minute rush to take advantage of government tax incentives for utes and vans, which ends on December 31. "This is an extraordinary result that provides further evidence that the market and the broader Australian economy are showing signs of recovery," Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive Andrew McKellar said."Business sales increased an incredible 35.4 per cent during the month; spurred on by the substantial incentives available until the end of the year," he said.  The off-roader segment was one of the most popular with sales surging 44 per cent.Top 10 cars - November1 Toyota HiLux 42302 Holden Commodore 39563 Toyota Corolla 33094 Ford Falcon 28635 Mazda3 25486 Holden Cruze 22747 Mitsubishi Lancer 20238 Toyota Camry 20039 Hyundai i30 199810 Toyota Yaris 1725

The transplanted V8 Supercar champion has two victories in the second-tier Nascar series, including a back-to-back success at Watkins Glen on Saturday, but has never been better in the main game.He out-drove and out-raced all but one of the biggest names in America to finish behind former Nascar champion Tony Stewart and ahead of Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch.Ambrose ran nine laps in the lead but was let down by worn tyres in the closing stages of the race, as his team gambled on strategy which was out of phase with the front-runners."It's just a great weekend for us. We didn't quite have enough to get Tony there in the end but I threw everything I could at him," Ambrose said."We got off strategy for some reason, just with the way the race rolled for us. We got stuck in the back of the back and had to make a gamble."We came in and splashed off on fuel and didn't put tyres on it. I think that was the difference between first and second this afternoon, just the extra laps I did on my tyres, probably about eight or 10 laps more than Tony."The result came on a road course that favoured Ambrose's experience, particularly in V8 Supercars, but many of the Nascar drivers are now happier away from their base on high-speed oval tracks and Stewart has won five times at Wakins Glen.Ambrose was happy with his result, particularly after the his second Nationwide series victory, but admitted it had been a tough weekend. And a tougher race with a Toyota Camry that was not ideal for the conditions."The Cup car was just a little aggressive to drive and I had to work really hard to keep up. "We were very fast in practice and unfortunately the track was hotter and slicker than what we wanted. We just didn't quite have the grip today that we had on Saturday," he said."I talked the team into making a couple of changes I thought were better. They were on Saturday but with the hot, slick track were maybe slightly aggressive.Ambrose is already taking about going one better in the Sprint Cup next year at Watkins Glen, as well as holding his top-20 spot in this year's Nascar championship. He is currently 17th."I'm pretty proud of my team. We didn't quite close the deal but it's just been a great weekend for us and I'm really, really excited for our future."We'll learn from that for next year and hopefully go one more spot up the sheet." 

The Toyota four cylinder eclipsed the Holden Commodore by just 35 cars last month to become the biggest seller. It is the fourth time in 18 months it has turned the tables on Holden's locally built big six. The Japanese carmaker sold 3856 Corollas versus 3891 Commodores last month.The Corolla led a modest small car sales spike last month as buyers continue to chase economy purchases over large sedans. Apart from small cars, the latest VFACTS industry sales figures for July reveal that sportscars and off-roaders also recorded positive sales gains.Small car sales were up 2.7 per cent in July compared to the same month last year. Sportscars increased 10.3 per cent while medium and luxury off-roaders were up 2.4 per cent and 7.2 per cent.The FCAI's sales figures show that 75,333 vehicles were sold last month, 8643 fewer than the same month last year. Year-to-date 530,556 new vehicles have been sold, down 15 per cent or 96,115 vehicles, compared to the same period last year.Toyota continues to dominate as sales leader. It has sold 110,897 vehicles so far this year to secure a dominate overall market share of 24 per cent. Toyota's lead is almost double that of its nearest rival, Holden with 66,418 sales with Ford in third spot with 54,239 sales.The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries chief executive, Andrew McKellar, said the Federal Goverment's business tax stimulus continued to have a positive knock-on effect on sales.Despite overall sales being down 10 per cent last month compared to the same month last year, business sales remained strong, he said. There was evidence of a flow-on from the very strong June sales result with strong demand for work vehicles, he said. "Particularly from buyers accessing the business tax break on new investments," he said.Some dealers are also reporting waiting lists of several months on certain models because of a backlog of orders on work utes and light commercial vehicles.Top Ten sellers (July) 1 Toyota Corolla 38912 Holden Commodore 38563 Ford Falcon 28344. Mazda3 27855 Toyota HiLux 25636 Hyundai Getz 21477 Mitsubishi Lancer 21298 Hyundai i30 20459 Holden Cruze 198210 Toyota Camry 1717Top Ten brands (July) 1 Toyota 16,6642 Holden 10,2663 Ford 77834 Hyundai 62265 Mazda 60246 Mitsubishi 41667 Nissan 37568 Subaru 28079 Honda 265710 Volkswagen 2361

GM Holden is less than two months from an economy-based update of its VE Commodore, Ford is promising a four-cylinder Falcon and more in 2010, and Toyota has just slashed the consumption of its family focussed Camry. The four-cylinder Toyota now tips the bowsers at an official rating of 8.8L/100km, trumping the best Commodore at 10.6 and the most efficient of the Falcons, the six-speed automatic XT build after April, at 9.9. But Holden is promising a double-digit improvement to its economy when the updated VE hits the road, probably in early September, while Toyota will only hold the line at 9.9 when it does a similar update job to the Camry on its V6 Aurion in September. "Fuel economy is an important issue for consumers. It's important that we remain competitive," says Toyota's head of sales and marketing, Dave Buttner. "There is no denying there have been improvements by some of our competitors. We are focussed on our customer's needs." That focus is reflected in a facelift which gives the Camry a slight visual lift and a significant value hike. Toyota says all models now come with six airbags and Bluetooth phone connection, while the Ateva and Grande get a rear parking camera. The Grande also keyless entry and starting, reversing sonar and an upgraded sound system. The bottom line is also sharper, with a $1200 price cut on the Atevo and Sportivo. "We've got improve value. So we're excited about the facelift," Buttner says. Camry sales are averaging around 1500 a month, down from previous years, but Buttner says the car is still holding its share of the medium class and he expects a significant boost through the back end of the year.  

Toyota Australia has been quiet through the first half of 2009 and suffered a significant sales hit, but plans to hit back through December with a rush of new models and value-added deals on its Corolla and Camry."We've got facelifts for the Camry and Aurion, we have special editions for RAV, Corolla and Yaris, we have technical changes on HiLux, HiAce and 70-Series, and we have a new-generation Prado," says Toyota Australia's head of sales and marketing, Dave Buttner."And we have VSC (electronic stability control) coming on Corolla hatch, with the sedan to follow next year."Buttner admits Toyota has been hit harder than its rivals by its first- half showroom rivals but he is confident Toyota will have the ammunition it needs to recover."To maintain stimulation in the marketplace you need to be offering new opportunites. This gives us an opportunity to revitalise and keep our products fresh for consumers," Buttner says."If you stand still you run the risk of being uncompetitive against your rivals."He rejects any talk of a panic move and says the 2009 plan was set before the start of the year. "All of this was in place. There is nothing new in this plan."Each year in the first quarter we decide what third-quarter limited edition models we have. Technical changes are on the drawing board for two years."Looking at the potential for each of the newcomers, Buttner says the three-door Prado is key as the company's family-focussed four-wheel drive is given a complete renewal as part of the change to the 200- Series LandCruiser family."It's the first time we've had a three-door. It's an exciting new entrant for us and gives us a new price point," Buttner says. "We expect it to be a strong seller. It's a different segment. It will will be a price leader."We think it will appeal to a slightly different buyer. We're doing workshops to determine who it will appeal to. "When you look at the next-generation Prado that's a very exciting product for us. The specification down the track is absolutely sensational."We know people are waiting for it. We expect that to give us a big boost in the last quarter."Buttner believes Australian sales have bottomed after the sharp downturn in the final months of 2008 and is hopeful of a revival to the end of this year."I think the industry for the second half will be stronger than the first half. There are signs that private buyers are returning to the marketplace. There is no doubt that some of the government stimulus is being spent on consumer goods."We're not walking away from our 850,000 forecast for the year. May and June were very strong. The investment allowance has definitely helped."The first six months for most manufacturers was slower than we have experienced for quite some time, but our order bank is back to where it was in March last year. We believe with our marketing campaigns we'll be able to drive showroom traffic." 

And the car industry is not immune from being saddled with these potentially damaging problems.Apart from Ford's recent problems with brake hoses and brake booster valves on E-Gas Falcons the other ‘big two’ carmakers have had their fair share of recalls.Holden has had five recalls for its VE Commodore and Statesman range since its introduction in 2006, involving things like fuel vapor lines, fuel lines and defective valves on LPG cars.ToyotaToyota had a range of recalls for its Camry, HiLux, RAV4, Yaris and LandCruiser over the past three years. Most, like a headlight dimmer switch on a Camry, have been minor. Others, like the potential fire hazard stemming from a poorly installed insulator pad on a Yaris, raised alarm bells among some customers.NissanLast week Nissan was forced to recall 11,743 Maximas and 4972 Muranos because of a vibrating air intake in the engine bay.AudiEven the luxury German brands are not immune. Last year Audi had to recall its TT for a piece of rear side trim in its cars that unless fixed, could potentially injure passengers.Mercedes-Benz This year Mercedes-Benz has recalled its M-Class off-roader for a possible glitch in its electric rear hatch. It was also forced to recall S-Class sedans fitted with active body control because of problems with the front lower ball joints on its suspension. On some high-mileage vehicles, the front suspension could fracture on rough roads. Faulty left and right windows in the Viano van also required the replacement.BMWOf the German carmakers, BMW has fared better. It has not had a official government recall since 2006.Volvo Volvo has had three recalls this year of its S80, XC70, V70 and new XC60 for engine cooling fan problems and windscreen wiper problems with the S80 and XC70.JaguarJaguar, once widely ridiculed for its poor quality cars, has come a long way over the past few years. Jaguars these days have no less, or no more, problems with recalls than some of the other luxury brands. Last year it experienced some minor problems with the XF range involving wiring and rear seatbelts.In all cases, recalls by carmakers are handled quickly and responsibly. If you want to check out whether your vehicle has had a recall, go to www.recalls.gov.au