PM launches Australian-made hybrid car
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Victorian Premier John Brumby (left) and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (right) examine the new hybrid (ABC Radio: Alison Price)
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has launched the first Australian-built hybrid car at Toyota's plant at Altona, west of Melbourne.
The new Toyota Camry has a 2.4-litre engine and an electric drive motor. It will produce 30 per cent less emissions than a regular car.
Mr Rudd was joined by Victorian Premier John Brumby and around 2,000 Toyota executives and staff to see the first pre-production car come off the assembly line.
Mr Rudd says production of a hybrid Camry will contribute around $90 million to the Victorian and South Australian economies.
"More than 50 hybrid-unique parts will be sourced from local suppliers," he said.
In June last year, the Federal Government announced that it would allocate $35 million from its Green Car Innovation Fund to support the development of the Camry; it is expected that up to 10,000 hybrid cars will be produced each year from next year. The Victorian Government also committed to making a financial contribution to the project.
The Prime Minister says the manufacture of hybrid cars will help Australia cut its greenhouse gas emissions.
"It's good for the economy, it's good for jobs and it's good for action on climate change," he said.
He says the outlook for Australia's car manufacturing industry is bright.
"This is the beginning of a whole new era in Australian motoring," he said.
"Australia is one of only about 15 countries around the world that design, engineer and build a car from scratch, and that's an important achievement for our country."
Australia is the fifth country to produce a hybrid car after Japan, the US, China and Thailand.
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