Toyota Australia Posts Record Profit of $149 Million, Ending 3 Years of Losses; Commits to Continue Making Cars in Melbourne Beyond 2016
Toyota Australia reported on Tuesday after tax profit of $149 million for financial year that ended March 31. It ended a three-year losing streak for the Japanese carmaker.
In the previous year, Toyota registered losses of $32.6 million, $13.2 million and $107.9 million.
Toyota is the only major automobile manufacturer in Australia that had posted growth while Ford logged accumulated losses of $600 million the past five years, prompting the carmaker to announce it would stop its Australian manufacturing operation in October 2016.
Holden also reported a $152.8 million loss for 2012, but committed to continue making cars in Australia until 2022.
Due to Toyota's turnaround, the carmaker committed to continue producing automobiles in Australia beyond 2016 when its five-year strategic plan ends. The company employs 2,500 workers in its Melbourne facility and a total of 4,200 employees throughout Australian.
In the past 12 months, the sale of Toyota and Lexus cars in Australia went up 20 per cent to almost 226,000 vehicles. About 66 per cent of Camry and Aurion models produced in Victoria are shipped to the Middle East, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.
Max Yasuda, the president and chief operating officer of Toyota Australia, said the continued growth of the company is partly because of the roll out of three brand new models - the Prius c, Prius v and 86 sports car, plus next-generation vehicles that proved popular among Aussie motorists.
In 2012, Toyota opened a new $330 million engine plant and became the first Australian manufacturer to produce petrol and hybrid engines that opened new export opportunities to Thailand and Malaysia and enhanced its local manufacturing capabilities.