With rivals taking on impressive redesigns in recent years, Toyota was never going to sit back and let its main bread-winner, the Camry, get old.
The current car was introduced for 2012, and Toyota gave it a major refresh for 2015 after some negative reviews.
On Monday, at the 2017 Detroit auto show, the Japanese automaker unveiled a new Camry, the nameplate’s eighth iteration, and we’ll see it in showrooms late this summer. It arrives as a 2018 model.
The new Camry has gone through a total evolution, from a proven, dependable and safe car to one that also possesses a more exciting and emotional character, thanks to its newfound sporty performance and style.
Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) modular platform
It utilizes a stretched version of the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform found in the Prius and C-HR. The platform represents a completely new strategy to the way Toyota designs, engineers, and packages its vehicles. In particular, it helps inject Toyota’s cars with much sportier handling thanks to its lightweight construction and low center of gravity. For example, the roof is now 1.6 inches lower than on the current car.
Three powertrains will be available at launch. A 2.5-liter inline-4, which will be paired with an 8-speed automatic, a 3.5-liter V-6, and a next-generation hybrid system pairing the 2.5-liter inline-4 with an E-CVT (electric motor integrated with CVT). Final specifications for each powertrain will be announced closer to the market launch, though Toyota says the Camry Hybrid should deliver best-in-class fuel economy.
For the cabin, the goal was a practical yet still attractive design. Thanks to the new platform, the seats are positioned lower to the ground. And this sporty theme is reinforced with a dash whose controls are angled towards the driver. Soft-touch materials are used throughout. The main instrument cluster gets a 7.0-inch display while an 8.0-inch display sits in the center of the dash and serves as the main hub for the infotainment. A standard safety pack includes useful features such as collision warning, pedestrian detection, adaptive cruise control, and blind spot and rear cross traffic warning.
For more from the Detroit auto show, head to our dedicated hub.
