Toyota hybrids cars for Thailand, Australia

Rising prices of fuel has affected the auto industry world over, and even Japanese companies like Toyota have taken a hit. In an attempt to wade through increasing competition and skyrocketing gasoline prices, Toyota Motor Corp is planning a shift in strategy for the global market.

Toyota is now lining up measures to start making its hybrid cars in Thailand and Australia.  It has been reported that Toyota will begin making the hybrid version of the Camry sedan in Thailand at the end of next year. The hybrid Camry would be made in Australia as early as 2010. Toyota already makes hybrids in Japan, the US and China, with total production having increased 25 percent to about 430,000 units in 2007. Toyota Prius is widely considered to be the pioneer in hybrid gasoline-electric cars in the world.

A report added that Toyota has plans to build Camry hybrids at the rate of 150,000 units a year at its Altona factory in Victoria where it builds the popular Camry sedan and the Aurion sister model. The Camry hybrids will be sold locally. Toyota, which has already made a name for itself as the world’s top seller of gasoline-electric hybrid cars, looks at Australia as a big market for its hybrids. It has also been reported that Toyota had produced 149,000 vehicles at its Altona plant last year. Of these the auto major had exported 99,000 to the Middle East.

Meanwhile, a related report said that another Japanese auto major Mitsubishi Motors Corp has lined up plans to sell electric subcompact cars in Japan by 2009. The company will start with 2,000 units a year and expand production to 10,000 in 2011, the report added.  It has also planned to initiate exports to European countries as well as Australia, Singapore and the US in two years’ time.