After 54 years and 3.4 million cars Toyota ceased local car making at its Altona plant in Victoria last Tuesday. In so many ways a sad time for Australia as we lose the expertise and opportunities that come with car manufacture – Toyota celebrated 54 years of manufacture by making the last 54 Camry’s off the line special Commemorative editions. Toyota will retain one at its heritage centre while another will go to the Australian National Museum in Canberra. Now purely a sales and marketing company Toyota Australia is in the process of consolidating its operations to its head office in Port Melbourne – it was near here that assembler Australian Motor Industries, AMI, built the first Australian Toyota – a Tiara- in 1963. The locally-built Camry has been our top-selling medium car for 24 years, the petrol-electric Hybrid model particularly impressive – with many now on taxi fleets you’ll be reminded of what we’ve lost in manufacturing each time you hail a cab. I’m David Berthon.

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