Toyota's pushing hard on the marketing of its new Camry petrol-electric hybrid model. The first mass production hybrid ever built in Australia. The Japanese-Australia company is well aware it has to sell the Camry in significant numbers in order for it to be a success long term.

So it commissioned its design team, Toyota Style Australia, to come up with a new look for the Camry. A styling revamp to lift it clear of the rest of the Camry range, as well as away from the shape of the Toyota Aurion – the latter is virtually a six-cylinder version of the Camry.

The result is a Camry that has a smoother look at the front gained by using a new bumper that not only improves air penetration but also gives the Camry hybrid a mild family resemblance to the Toyota Prius. Note in particular the way the bumpers’ edges flow into the side of the front guards.

Hybrid Camry’s radiator grille is finished in an interesting satin-chrome material and the shape, again, is based on that of the Prius.

Headlights carry a mild blue tint in their covers, a feature seen in other Toyota and Lexus hybrid models. The rear lights have clear covers so you can see the LED lights inside them. LEDs need less electricity to light up do than standard lights – as they say in the classics, every little bit helps.

The end result is a noticeable change from the standard Toyota Camry, with a futuristic look likely to appeal to the buyers at whom the new hybrid is aimed.

Out of sight, there are aerodynamic covers to smooth the airflow under the engine, fuel tank and rear floor. The result of these visible and hidden body changes is a coefficient of drag of 0.27, a pretty good figure for a family car.

The Toyota Hybrid Camry is being built in the company's plant in Altona near Melbourne and goes on sale Australia wide in February 2010. At this stage we have only test driven the American version of the vehicle, and then only briefly. We liked its performance and look forward to bringing you a full report on the Australian model.