Orders paused for Toyota Camry hybrid as two-year wait time drags on amid high demand

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Toyota Australia has announced it will pause orders for its Camry hybrid sedan variant as the brand works to work through the existing order bank.

The Japanese automaker has said that 90 percent of buyers opt for a petrol-electric hybrid variant when choosing their new Toyota Camry. 

The brand states that in the year up to September 2023, a total of 7130 Camrys were delivered, with 6490 of these being hybrid variants. 

Pausing the orders of in-demand models is not uncommon for the Toyota brand, with the car market previously temporarily halting future sales of its GR Yaris and 70 Series Land Cruiser as demand far outstripped supply. 

The Toyota Camry range competes with other large sedans in Australia such as the Mazda 6, Hyundai Sonata and the Skoda Octavia. 

The Camry has held almost 70 percent total market share in Australia’s medium sedan segment so far in 2023.

The Camry remains to be the only series-parallel hybrid large sedan available on Australian shores, and has broad appeal with the rideshare and taxi business due to the sedan’s reliability, low running costs and practicality.  

It’s possible that the Camry hybrid will not go back on sale in Australia before a new-generation version arrives. The next Camry is expected to be revealed in 2024.

What variants of Toyota Camry are there in Australia?

The current-generation range of large Toyota sedans in Australia includes the Camry Ascent, Camry Ascent Sport, Camry SX and the flagship Camry SL. 

The base Ascent petrol uses a 2.5-litre naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine which produces 152kW/243Nm. This drivetrain is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

A hybrid-electric 2.5-litre drivetrain with 160kW of power is available for Ascent, Ascent Sport, SX and SL models. It’s mated to Toyota’s CVT transmission. Hybrid models have a claimed fuel economy of 4.7L/100km combined. 

Prices start from $34,320 before on-road costs for the base model Camry Ascent petrol vehicle and run up as high as the flagship $50,320 Toyota Camry SL hybrid.

Entry pricing for the popular hybrid drivetrain begins at $36,820 before on-road costs, or a pretty affordable $2500 extra cost over the equivalent petrol-only Ascent vehicle.  

Key specification grade walk for the Toyota Camry 

The current Toyota Camry vehicle range specs are as follows:

Ascent (petrol):

• 7.0-inch touchscreen
• 4.2-inch driver instrument display 
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto phone connectivity technology 
• Manual adjustment driver’s seat 
• Manual air conditioning controls
• DAB radio
• Eight cupholders 
• Auto levelling headlamps
• LED daytime running lights 
• 17-inch alloy wheels 

Stepping into the Ascent hybrid, owners gain:

• 2.5-litre hybrid drivetrain with CVT transmission
• Dual-zone climate control
• Optional satellite navigation

Next up is the Camry Ascent Sport, which adds:

• Rear spoiler 
• Premium steering wheel
• Eight-way powered driver’s seat 
• Larger 7.0-inch instrument cluster screen
• Larger 9.0-inch touchscreen with satellite navigation connect

Next is the Camry SX which adds:

• Larger 19-inch alloy wheels
• Sports leather accented seats 
• USB charging ports (2x front, 1 rear)

The flagship SL Camry adds to the specification with:

• Power tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment 
• Panoramic roof
• Rain sensing wipers
• Seat heating, cooling and ventilation for front seats 
• Ambient cabin lighting 
• Driver and front passenger electric seats 
• Driver’s seat memory function
• 360-degree camera technology 
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror

How safe is the current Toyota Camry?

All Toyota Camrys come fitted with the following safety features:

• Seven airbags
• Five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2017 (expires December 2024) 
• Blind spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert (on Ascent Sport and up) 
• Toyota Safety sense including:
  • Lane departure warning
  • Pre-collision safety system with pedestrian detection
  • Auto high beam
  • Dynamic radar cruise control
  • Road sign assist 

Toyota Camry 2023: prices in Australia

All prices listed are before on-road costs.

• Ascent petrol: $34,320
• Ascent hybrid: $36,820
• Ascent Sport hybrid: $39,620
• SX hybrid: $43,020
• SL hybrid: $50,020