Toyota Australia
Encyclopedia
Toyota Motor Corporation Australia, or Toyota Australia, is a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corporation
, which is based in Japan
. TMCA markets Toyota products and manages motorsport, advertising and business operations for Toyota Motor Corporation in Australia
. TMCA is also responsible for Lexus
vehicles in Australia.
The current head of TMCA is Max Yasuda and David Buttner is TMCA's senior executive director of sales and marketing. John Conomos is Chairman Emeritus and is the Principal Policy Advisor on TMCA.
Toyota's tagline
is 'Oh What a Feeling!', which has been used in media since the mid-1980s. It is almost always accompanied by a person jumping and freezing in mid-air.
In 1972 Toyota bought out British Leyland's interest in AMI and announced plans to spend AUS $27 Million on an engine and gearbox plant.
A production plant in Altona, Victoria was established and began the production of engines in 1978, following the progressive growth of AMI.
The first AMI exported car was a Toyota Corona
wagon in 1986 headed for New Zealand.
The one-millionth locally built Toyota was produced in 1992.
In 1994, all vehicle manufacturing operations were moved from Port Melbourne to Altona. The last vehicle produced at the Port Melbourne plant was a Toyota Camry
and the first vehicle produced at the Altona plant a Toyota Corolla
. Port Melbourne continued performing minor operations for TMCA.
The two-millionth locally built Toyota was produced in 2004.
In 2005, the ten-millionth worldwide Toyota Camry
was built at TMCA's Altona plant
.
The complete closure and end of all Toyota production operations at the Port Melbourne plant took place in May 2006. All manufacturing was shifted to Altona.
The milestone of the 500,000th TMCA vehicle export also occurred in May 2006. The vehicle was a Toyota Camry
, headed for New Zealand.
Throughout TMCA's history, many Toyota vehicles have been built at either Altona or Port Melbourne, including the Toyota Tiara, the Toyota Corona
, the Toyota Crown
, the Toyota Corolla
, the Toyota Camry
and the Toyota Avalon
. The Toyota Land Cruiser
was never built in Australia.
As of 2006, TMCA's Altona plant in Victoria produces the Toyota Camry
. Production of the Toyota Avalon
has ceased, due for replacement on the manufacturing line by the Toyota Aurion
, which shares many components with the Toyota Camry
. TMCA has expressed interests in locally building the Toyota Kluger 4WD at Altona in the future.
TMCA has started to build the new Hybrid Camry in 2010 after securing a $35 million subsidy from the Federal Government. " The first locally-made Australian Toyota Hybrid Camry was completed and revealed to public on 11 December 2009, driven by former prime minister Kevin Rudd
.
They have been in the position of Australia's top seller of new cars since the sales period of 2003-2004, where that position was taken over from Holden
.
Total New Car Sales by TMCA
In the sales period 2006-2007, Toyota Australia became the first automotive company from 1978 to have been the leader in total sales, passenger vehicles sales and commercial vehicles sales.
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TMCA currently offers a large range of motor vehicles in Australia for private and fleet buyers.
Passenger models
SUV models
Commercial models
livery Toyota Corolla
.
Toyota Racing Development
, or TRD, also forms TMCA's tuning division to create performance versions of common Toyota vehicles. The tuning division was launched in 2007 and is managed by Prodrive. It is designed to compete with rival makers Ford and Holden, with their tuning divisions of FPV
and HSV
respectively. The first vehicle released by TRD was the TRD Aurion, a supercharged version of the Toyota Aurion
large car. The TRD Hilux, a supercharged version of the Toyota Hilux
ute, is due for release in the second quarter of 2008. As of December 2008, however, Toyota has decided to cease TRD manufacturing due to an "operational change". All production of both the TRD Aurion and Hilux is scheduled to cease by 31 March 2009, and stock will be cleared by mid 2009.
to do Body Engineering; Chassis, Mechanical Engineering & Evaluation; Customer Quality Engineering; Electronics Engineering; and Support.
Premiership. The original sponsorship deal was signed for the 2004-2006 seasons. Furthermore, a contract was signed on 16 July 2006 at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne to extend this contract by two years.
Toyota Motor Corporation
, , , commonly known simply as Toyota and abbreviated as TMC, is a multinational automaker headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In 2010, Toyota Motor Corporation employed 317,734 people worldwide, and was the world's largest automobile manufacturer by production.The company was founded by...
, which is based in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. TMCA markets Toyota products and manages motorsport, advertising and business operations for Toyota Motor Corporation in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. TMCA is also responsible for Lexus
Lexus
is the luxury vehicle division of Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. First introduced in 1989 in the United States, Lexus is now sold globally and has become Japan's largest-selling make of premium cars. The Lexus marque is marketed in over 70 countries and territories worldwide, and has...
vehicles in Australia.
The current head of TMCA is Max Yasuda and David Buttner is TMCA's senior executive director of sales and marketing. John Conomos is Chairman Emeritus and is the Principal Policy Advisor on TMCA.
Toyota's tagline
Tagline
A tagline is a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product , or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product...
is 'Oh What a Feeling!', which has been used in media since the mid-1980s. It is almost always accompanied by a person jumping and freezing in mid-air.
History
TMCA first began in 1958 where Toyota Land Cruisers were imported by Thiess Toyota for the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric scheme. By 1963, assembly of Toyota vehicles in Australia by Australian Motor Industries (AMI) had begun, taking place at the production plant in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The production line of Toyota vehicles in 1963 was devoted to the Toyota Tiara. One of the leading forces of getting Toyota established in Australia was Kennath Hougham.In 1972 Toyota bought out British Leyland's interest in AMI and announced plans to spend AUS $27 Million on an engine and gearbox plant.
A production plant in Altona, Victoria was established and began the production of engines in 1978, following the progressive growth of AMI.
The first AMI exported car was a Toyota Corona
Toyota Corona
The Toyota Corona is an automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota between 1957 and 2002. Traditionally, the competitor from Nissan was the Nissan Bluebird. The word Corona is Latin for "crown"...
wagon in 1986 headed for New Zealand.
The one-millionth locally built Toyota was produced in 1992.
In 1994, all vehicle manufacturing operations were moved from Port Melbourne to Altona. The last vehicle produced at the Port Melbourne plant was a Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
and the first vehicle produced at the Altona plant a Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
. Port Melbourne continued performing minor operations for TMCA.
The two-millionth locally built Toyota was produced in 2004.
In 2005, the ten-millionth worldwide Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
was built at TMCA's Altona plant
Toyota Australia Altona Plant
Toyota Motor Australia has a manufacturing plant in Altona in Melbourne, its only such plant in Australia. The plant mainly produces Camrys and Aurions for sale locally in Australasia and for export to East and Southeast Asia and the Middle East. In December 2009, full-scale production of the new...
.
The complete closure and end of all Toyota production operations at the Port Melbourne plant took place in May 2006. All manufacturing was shifted to Altona.
The milestone of the 500,000th TMCA vehicle export also occurred in May 2006. The vehicle was a Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
, headed for New Zealand.
Throughout TMCA's history, many Toyota vehicles have been built at either Altona or Port Melbourne, including the Toyota Tiara, the Toyota Corona
Toyota Corona
The Toyota Corona is an automobile manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota between 1957 and 2002. Traditionally, the competitor from Nissan was the Nissan Bluebird. The word Corona is Latin for "crown"...
, the Toyota Crown
Toyota Crown
The Toyota Crown is a line of full-size luxury sedans by Toyota. The range was primarily available in Japan and some other Asian countries, originally designed to serve as a taxi...
, the Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
, the Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
and the Toyota Avalon
Toyota Avalon
The Toyota Avalon is a full-size car produced by Toyota in the United States, and is the flagship sedan of Toyota in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Middle East. It was also produced in Australia from 2000 until July 2005 when it was replaced in November 2006 by the Toyota Aurion...
. The Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota Land Cruiser
The is a series of four-wheel drive vehicles produced by the Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation. It is not related to the Studebaker Land Cruiser car produced in the US from 1934-1954....
was never built in Australia.
As of 2006, TMCA's Altona plant in Victoria produces the Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
. Production of the Toyota Avalon
Toyota Avalon
The Toyota Avalon is a full-size car produced by Toyota in the United States, and is the flagship sedan of Toyota in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Middle East. It was also produced in Australia from 2000 until July 2005 when it was replaced in November 2006 by the Toyota Aurion...
has ceased, due for replacement on the manufacturing line by the Toyota Aurion
Toyota Aurion
The Toyota Aurion is a mid-size car produced by Toyota in Australia and parts of Asia since 2006. The Aurion, given the model designation XV40 is essentially a Toyota Camry with revised front- and rear-end treatment, along with changes to the interior...
, which shares many components with the Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
. TMCA has expressed interests in locally building the Toyota Kluger 4WD at Altona in the future.
TMCA has started to build the new Hybrid Camry in 2010 after securing a $35 million subsidy from the Federal Government. " The first locally-made Australian Toyota Hybrid Camry was completed and revealed to public on 11 December 2009, driven by former prime minister Kevin Rudd
Kevin Rudd
Kevin Michael Rudd is an Australian politician who was the 26th Prime Minister of Australia from 2007 to 2010. He has been Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2010...
.
TMCA Sales Figures
Toyota Motor Corporation Australia currently holds the largest market share of Australia's new car market.They have been in the position of Australia's top seller of new cars since the sales period of 2003-2004, where that position was taken over from Holden
Holden
GM Holden Ltd is an automaker that operates in Australia, based in Port Melbourne, Victoria. The company was founded in 1856 as a saddlery manufacturer. In 1908 it moved into the automotive field, before becoming a subsidiary of the U.S.-based General Motors in 1931...
.
Total New Car Sales by TMCA
- 2003-2004: 186,370
- 2004-2005: 201,737
- 2005-2006: 202,817
- 2006-2007: 213,847 (current Australian car industry record for highest annual new car sales)
In the sales period 2006-2007, Toyota Australia became the first automotive company from 1978 to have been the leader in total sales, passenger vehicles sales and commercial vehicles sales.
Current lineup
Passenger models
- Toyota AurionToyota AurionThe Toyota Aurion is a mid-size car produced by Toyota in Australia and parts of Asia since 2006. The Aurion, given the model designation XV40 is essentially a Toyota Camry with revised front- and rear-end treatment, along with changes to the interior...
(mid-size carMid-size carA mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
)
- Toyota AvensisToyota IpsumThe Toyota Ipsum, Picnic, SportsVan or Avensis Verso is a seven-seater multi-purpose vehicle produced by Japanese automaker Toyota.- First generation :...
(minivanMinivanMinivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon....
)
- Toyota CamryToyota CamryThe Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
(mid-size carMid-size carA mid-size car is the North American/Australian standard for an automobile with a size equal to or greater than that of a compact...
)
- Toyota CorollaToyota CorollaThe Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
(compact carCompact carA compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
)
- Toyota PriusToyota PriusThe Toyota Prius is a full hybrid electric mid-size hatchback, formerly a compact sedan developed and manufactured by the Toyota Motor Corporation...
(compact carCompact carA compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
)
- Toyota Rukus (compact carCompact carA compact car , or small family car , is a classification of cars which are larger than a supermini but smaller than or equal to a mid-size car...
)
- Toyota TaragoToyota PreviaThe Toyota Previa, also known as the Toyota Estima in Japan and the Toyota Tarago in Australia, is an MPV or multi-purpose vehicle produced by Toyota Motor Corporation since 1990...
(minivanMinivanMinivan is a type of van designed for personal use. Minivans are typically either two-box or one box designs for maximum interior volume – and are taller than a sedan, hatchback, or a station wagon....
)
- Toyota YarisToyota VitzThe Toyota Vitz is a line of three- and five-door hatchback subcompact cars produced since 1998 by the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. Now in its third generation, the name "Toyota Vitz" has been used consistently in Japan, with most international markets receiving the same vehicle under...
(subcompact carSubcompact carSubcompact car is a North American term used to describe automobiles whose class size is smaller than that of a compact car, usually not exceeding in length, but larger than a microcar...
)
SUV models
- Toyota FJ CruiserToyota FJ CruiserThe Toyota FJ Cruiser is a retro style SUV with styling and off road performance reminiscent of the original Toyota FJ40 Land Cruisers. Introduced as a concept car at the February 2003 Chicago Auto Show, the FJ Cruiser was green lit after enormous consumer response and debuted at the January 2005...
(mid-size SUV)
- Toyota Kluger (mid-size SUV)
- Toyota Land Cruiser 200 (full-size SUV)
- Toyota Land Cruiser PradoToyota Land Cruiser PradoToyota Land Cruiser Prado is a, mid-size four-wheel drive vehicle in the Toyota Land Cruiser range produced by the Japanese car maker Toyota Motor Corporation. The Prado is one of the smaller vehicles in the range...
(mid-size SUV)
- Toyota RAV4Toyota RAV4The Toyota RAV4 is a compact crossover SUV from Toyota. It was the first compact crossover SUV, introduced in Japan and Europe in 1994 and beginning sales in North America in 1996...
(compact SUV)
Commercial models
- Toyota CoasterToyota CoasterThe Toyota Coaster is a minibus produced by Toyota Motor Corporation. It was introduced in 1969, with the second generation introduced in 1982, followed by the third generation in 1993...
- Toyota HiaceToyota HiaceThe Toyota HiAce is a motor vehicle produced by the Japanese manufacturer Toyota. First launched in 1967, the HiAce has since been available in a wide range of configurations, including minivan and minibus, van, pick-up, taxi, and ambulance....
- Toyota HiluxToyota HiluxThe Toyota Hilux is a series of compact pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Most countries used the Hilux name for the entire life of the series but in North America, the Hilux name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup Truck, or Compact Truck...
- Toyota Land Cruiser 78Toyota LandCruiser 70 SeriesThe 70 Series is a family of Toyota Land Cruiser models produced from 1984 until the present day. It replaced the 25-year-old 40 Series as the off-road workhorse of the Land Cruiser heritage, while the 60 Series developed into more comfortable passenger off-road vehicles...
Motorsport
TMCA currently supports motorsport in the form of the Australian rally, with a Toyota Racing DevelopmentToyota Racing Development
Toyota Racing Development or TRD is the in-house tuning shop for all Toyota, Lexus, and Scion cars. TRD is responsible both for improving street cars for more performance and supporting Toyota's racing interests around the world. TRD produces various tuning products and accessories, including...
livery Toyota Corolla
Toyota Corolla
The Toyota Corolla is a line of subcompact and compact cars manufactured by the Japanese automaker Toyota, which has become very popular throughout the world since the nameplate was first introduced in 1966. In 1997, the Corolla became the best selling nameplate in the world, with over 35 million...
.
Toyota Racing Development
Toyota Racing Development
Toyota Racing Development or TRD is the in-house tuning shop for all Toyota, Lexus, and Scion cars. TRD is responsible both for improving street cars for more performance and supporting Toyota's racing interests around the world. TRD produces various tuning products and accessories, including...
, or TRD, also forms TMCA's tuning division to create performance versions of common Toyota vehicles. The tuning division was launched in 2007 and is managed by Prodrive. It is designed to compete with rival makers Ford and Holden, with their tuning divisions of FPV
Ford Performance Vehicles
Ford Performance Vehicles is the Melbourne-based, premium performance vehicle partner of automobile manufacturer Ford Australia. The company, which is as a joint venture between Prodrive and Ford Australia, has produced a range of Ford based models under the FPV brand name since April...
and HSV
Holden Special Vehicles
Holden Special Vehicles is the officially designated performance vehicle partner of Australian automobile manufacturer Holden. Established in 1987 and based in Clayton, Victoria, the company modifies Holden models such as the Commodore, Caprice and Ute and markets them under the HSV brandname.-...
respectively. The first vehicle released by TRD was the TRD Aurion, a supercharged version of the Toyota Aurion
Toyota Aurion
The Toyota Aurion is a mid-size car produced by Toyota in Australia and parts of Asia since 2006. The Aurion, given the model designation XV40 is essentially a Toyota Camry with revised front- and rear-end treatment, along with changes to the interior...
large car. The TRD Hilux, a supercharged version of the Toyota Hilux
Toyota Hilux
The Toyota Hilux is a series of compact pickup trucks produced and marketed by the Toyota Motor Corporation. Most countries used the Hilux name for the entire life of the series but in North America, the Hilux name was retired in 1976 in favor of Truck, Pickup Truck, or Compact Truck...
ute, is due for release in the second quarter of 2008. As of December 2008, however, Toyota has decided to cease TRD manufacturing due to an "operational change". All production of both the TRD Aurion and Hilux is scheduled to cease by 31 March 2009, and stock will be cleared by mid 2009.
Supporting facilities
Toyota Technical Centre Australia (TTC-AU). Formed in June 2003 in Notting Hill, VictoriaVictoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
to do Body Engineering; Chassis, Mechanical Engineering & Evaluation; Customer Quality Engineering; Electronics Engineering; and Support.
Sponsorship
TMCA is currently the premiere sponsor of the AFLAustralian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
Premiership. The original sponsorship deal was signed for the 2004-2006 seasons. Furthermore, a contract was signed on 16 July 2006 at the Telstra Dome in Melbourne to extend this contract by two years.
See also
- Australian Motor IndustriesAustralian Motor IndustriesAustralian Motor Industries was an automobile assembly firm that was significant in the early history of the automobile industry in Australia.- Start of production :...
, an assembly firm bought out by Toyota Australia for its Port Melbourne assembly facility