Camry achieves adult status

If you've ever noticed how many Toyota Camrys seem to be on Australian roads, this will come as no surprise: This month, the company's most prolific local model, and one that defines the company in this country, has been with us as a locally made product for 21 years.

Toyota has built more than 2.5 million cars in Australia, and more than half of those have been Camrys. 1.3 million since the first car rolled off the production line in 1987 to be precise.

The Camry is also the company's best-selling export model, with something like 85,300 shipped to more than 20 countries last year.

According to sales and marketing senior director David Buttner, only two other nameplates (Holden and Ford) have a longer production history in Australia.

"Camry has achieved remarkable popularity with local and export buyers over an extended period. It has evolved successfully through six generations with new technologies that have kept it at the forefront of the industry," he said.

"The hybrid version we will build here from 2010 will add another significant dimension that will underline Camry's leadership role in the local industry."

Last year, a record 111,891 Toyotas were built in Australia.