But for those working at Toyota in Altona, the news this week is indeed good.

The plant will be home to production of Toyota's new hybrid Camry, scheduled to roll off the factory floor in 2010.

While the deal - 10,000 vehicles in the first year - won't result initially in a rush of new jobs, it does at least give some surety to existing staff and their families.

It will also give Australians the opportunity to buy a locally-built alternative to vehicles fuelled only by petrol.

Rising costs of petrol and an increasing desire to reduce carbon footprints are pushing motorists more towards alternative fuels.

While the uptake of hybrid vehicles is still limited in Australia, at the very least many motorists now have them on the radar and are monitoring their development, practicalities and affordability.

The Toyota announcement yesterday followed Holden's declaration last month that it could have a hybrid Commodore in the market within two years.

This competition between manufacturers is healthy as far as the more environmentally friendly hybrid vehicles go.

While rising fuel costs are helping the hybrid cause, the cars are still more expensive than their petrol counterparts.

The Toyota Prius can be up to 14 per cent more expensive than its petrol-driven equivalent.

While some motorists are prepared to wear that in the interests of the environment, for others cost remains a significant factor.

Rising competition will see that change. As demand in Australia for hybrid cars grows, the economies of scale involved in production will too.

Hopefully, this will eventually see price parity between petrol-powered and hybrid vehicles.

Of course, this won't happen unless the cars that Toyota, Holden and others are talking about producing are both practical and efficient.

Motorists want guarantees that hybrid vehicles are a true alternative to existing models.

We often see that consumers are serious about making a difference to the environment and, more and more, their purchasing decisions reflect that.

It is pleasing to see that car manufacturers are taking that seriously too.