Ride share dilemma — no more Camrys?

0 0 November 03, 2023 Edit this post

Taxis operators and ride share drivers must be having a meltdown after Toyota's announcement that it will stop Camry sales.

That's because backlog of orders has blown out to more than two years and most of those orders are for the popular, light-sipping Camry hybrid favoured by operators.

That's because it uses as little as 4.2L/100km and is at its best in city traffic.

Despite substantially improved supply since May across most of Toyota’s new-vehicle range, including Camry hybrid, broad appeal and high level of orders for these fuel-efficient cars has resulted in customer wait times remaining above two years, the company reveals.

Toyota's Sean Hanley said the order "pause decision demonstrated the company’s commitment to transparency by adopting measures that respect the deep trust placed in the Toyota brand by customers.

“I want to assure all Toyota customers that we are doing everything possible to increase supply for Australia and to expedite delivery of vehicles as they arrive,” he said.

“Our global production teams have consistently adopted countermeasures that have improved the supply of components affected by global shortages, such as semiconductors.

“Throughout this journey, we are particularly humbled that our local customers have maintained their trust in Toyota and remained loyal to our brand."

In the nine months to September 30, new Camry deliveries totalled 7130 vehicles – 6490 of these were hybrid variants.