For years, the large, family car market in Australia has been divided between the Aussie built GM Holden Commodore and the Ford Falcon, both on the road and on the track. The large car market has been characterised not only by their size, but also by V6 or V8 powerplants running on rear-wheel drive platforms.
For years, other competitors, including Mitsubishi with their Magna and more recently their 380 models, have tried to chip away at this virtual duopoly, with limited success.
Tags:car market, toyota
Although the hybrid version is probably more efficient than a comparable 400hp conventional drivetrain, if Toyota is serious about being an environmental leader they would say the 330hp (or less) is enough and do a hybrid with a smaller ICE and better efficiency and emissions than the Nissan at comparable performance levels. But even mighty Toyota is susceptible to the schizophrenia (I know it is surely the wrong medical term, but most people will get my meaning) that afflicts most carmakers who want to be seen as green while still appealing to as large and as profitable a customer base as possible.