The new Toyota Camry was unveiled in Melbourne last week, to go on sale in three months. Toyota sales director David Buttner said the car would inject more than $300 million into the economy and sustain 3200 jobs at the company’s Altona factory in Melbourne. It also supported 1200 local suppliers with orders worth $2.8 billion a year thanks to local content in manufacturing most of the vehicle in Australia.

Last year Toyota’s Melbourne factory produced around 119,000 Camry’s, shipping 70 per cent of them to markets in the Middle East, although domestic sales have averaged less than 24,000 a year since 2006 .

Recently, with the help of $35m from the Federal Government’s green car fund, Toyota began to produce a hybrid Camry, but local sales have fallen well short of expectations. The plant, which employs 3200 people, is undergoing a $300 million upgrade, aided by $63 million from the federal government to manufacture a new 4 cylinder from 2012 for the new Camry

The Camry will be in showrooms in November, with a hybrid version following early in 2012. Prices for the 2012 models will start from $30,490 and peak at around $44,490. Toyota’s more up-market sister vehicle the new V6 Aurion, will follow the 4 cylinder Camry into showrooms and go on sale either next February or March.

The new Aurion’s 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine will produce 204kW of power and 346Nm of torque, up 4kW/10Nm from the previous model with the 6 speed automatic transmission carries over into the 2012 model.

The Aurion’s unofficial combined cycle fuel consumption is tipped to be 9.9 litres/100km aided by a 50kg reduction in total vehicle weight to 1540kg. The new model will be around 5mm wider and 10mm taller than the outgoing model, with the basic chassis carried over into the new model.

The exterior design is more subtle than daring. From the front, the new Aurion receives a semi-aggressive headlight assembly, prominent grille and the bonnet has been redesigned for a bolder profile. The rear panels emphasised by stronger lines, sharper edges on the bumper and the taillight treatment with the flatter boot lid makes the Aurion look very business like!

The doors, incorporating a few minor cosmetic changes, will be carried over from the last model and the interior has been upgraded with the new, steering wheel, woodgrain dash panels and stitched leather seats give it a more refined look than the current car.