Toyota announced in 2014 that it would stop making vehicles at its unprofitable Australian plants, joining the country's other two large automakers - Ford and US giant General Motors' Holden offshoot.
Ford closed its production line last year and Holden will shutter its only remaining car factory in Adelaide later this month.
All three companies blame the Australian dollar's strength and an increasingly competitive market for the local sector's decline.
"Toyota became the top automobile manufacturer in Australia," Toyota Australia president Dave Buttner told close to 3,000 employees at the closure of the Altona plant in Melbourne Tuesday.
"The vehicles produced here became a byword for quality and reliability not only in Australia but also in the world as the vehicles were exported to other regions like the Middle East."
Some 2,600 workers have lost their jobs, although the company has retained 1,300 for distribution and sales, as well as research and design.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said it was a sad day but pointed to new higher-end manufacturing opportunities as a means to help offset the job losses.
"The investment that we're making in defence, in naval shipbuilding, in particular, is going to deliver thousands of advanced manufacturing jobs," he told reporters.
Australia has been producing cars for almost a century, with the industry employing tens of thousands of workers until its decline over the past decade.
It has struggled with the effects of the high local dollar, squeezing exports and compounding rising production costs.
Source: AFP
For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.
We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.
Go to: http://www.inet.co.za
