What's good for GM is good for Australia: Toyota

Holden's announcement yesterday that it would commence building a new small car at the company's Elizabeth factory is a positive news story among the all-pervading doom and gloom.

Even, it seems, for Toyota!

Greg Gardner, Corporate Manager for Toyota, believes that any initiative to increase investment in local manufacturing is a good thing -- for the industry as a whole.

Gardner would not be drawn on the changing face of automotive manufacturing and how moves by both Ford and Holden to build small cars in Australia would affect sales of Toyota's lucrative small car contender, the Corolla, other than saying: "We'll see what the [Holden's] like when it comes out and target our marketing accordingly".

Nor would he acknowledge that Australia's two traditional large-car makers diversifying had ramifications for Toyota's Aurion, pointing out that Aurion was part of a successful export program to date (the manufacturer is exporting its 100,000th vehicle for the year some time tomorrow).

Gardner did say, though, that Holden's move into local small-car production (more here) was bound to be advantageous for the manufacturing industry in Australia -- including parts suppliers for the three car builders.

"I think that the more models that we build here... will help our supplier base and that will help everybody -- Holden, Ford and Toyota. I think that's a great thing," he said. 

"It means that we can continue to have a strong manufacturing industry in Australia and a strong supplier base."

Toyota remains committed to the Camry Hybrid as its green flag bearer and Gardner agrees that there's no great need for the company to change its future model policy direction in light of the small car strategies outlined by Ford and Holden.

"We study everything all the time," he said. "Our future plans are pretty much decided at this present moment, so we're not going to make any changes at this stage."

"I know they're starting development of the next generation Camry, so we're not changing a great deal away from what we're doing now."