Toyota will shift to a purely sales distribution model from 3 October when 2600 jobs will go from its Altona plant in Melbourne.
According to the AFR, the car-maker announced the official closure timetable yesterday.
Toyota Australia president Tony Buttner said that the Aurion vehicle will stop not be produced from August at Altona, while Camry Hybrid vehicles would cease being manufactured in September. The Toyota Camry petrol version would be the last off the assembly line in early October.
The company will then shift to a sales and distribution of imported Toyota models from 1 January 2018.
Buttner said the company would keep operating both morning and afternoon shifts until the final closure date. This would mean vehicle production of 61,000 for 2017. This comprises 26,600 vehicles for the domestic market, and 34,400 cars for export.
Former Toyota Australia executive chairman John Conomos, who worked for the plant for 30 years said that it was “devastating” that the plant had to close down.
The closure of the Altona plant will add to the litany of car manufacturing casualties in 2016. Holden and Ford closed their remaining plants in October last year.