New Camry injects life into family sedan segment
Toyota is giving its eighth-generation Camry bolder styling, better handling, upscale interior materials and sportier driving dynamics, hoping to defy the stereotypes of bland Japanese sedans and fortify one of the best-selling cars against the flight to crossovers.
With the redesigned 2018 Camry, Toyota hopes to inject some life into the family-sedan segment as consumers turn in droves to utility vehicles.
The 2018 Camry, unveiled last Monday at the on-going Detroit auto show, is built on Toyota’s new global platform, with fresh mechanicals. But perhaps the biggest break from the past is the sedan’s more sculptured design. The design language, which Toyota calls “keen look,” features a two-piece grille, body panels that flow into each other more smoothly and more aggressive front and rear fenders.
Toyota hopes to inject some life into the family-sedan segment as consumers turn in droves to utility vehicles. That shift has forced Toyota to jack up incentives on the outgoing Camry to clear out bloated inventories and defend its title as the best-selling car in the U.S. and among the best in many other countries of the world.
Across the industry, automakers spent heavily on incentives to move midsize sedans last year, and still, the segment shrank nearly 12 percent in the U.S. In December, Toyota spent an average of $4,482 for each Camry it sold, up more than $1,000 from a year earlier, according to Autodata.
For the 2018 model, due in showrooms in late summer. Toyota is promising a very un-Camry-like experience in terms of head-turning looks and athletic road manners, while seeking to maintain the quality that has kept its owners loyal for generations.
“The all-new 2018 Toyota Camry is, without a doubt, the most captivating midsize sedan ever produced,” said Bob Carter, senior vice president of automotive operations at Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. “It delivers on everything owners have come to expect from America’s best-selling car, and adds to it jaw-dropping design.”
Between its mainstream and Lexus luxury brands, Toyota has been trying hard to make its products more visually striking, even at the risk of turning off loyalists. Recent examples of the daring styling directive include the Lexus NX compact crossover and the Toyota C-HR small crossover.
For the Camry, the design goals were a distinctive car with low center of gravity that results in a firm wide stance; a practical yet emotionally styled cabin profile; and a sporty and upscale image both inside and out,” the company said in a statement.
Other goal was to improve the driving dynamics. The Camry is the latest vehicle to be built on the Toyota New Global Architecture platform, with a revised suspension, lower center of gravity and better visibility, the company said.
“In order to create something that stirs people’s soul, we’ve laid out the concept of a new sedan that provides fun and excitement behind the wheel,” said Masato Katsumata, chief engineer for the project. “In developing the next-generation Camry, we were able to start with a clean slate, which allowed us to create a true driver’s car.”
Upon introduction, two new gasoline engines will be available: a 3.5-liter V-6 and an inline four-cylinder with more torque, more power and lower fuel consumption than their predecessors. Also new is an eight-speed “direct shift” automatic transmission. A hybrid Camry will also be offered.
Toyota will again offer four trim levels comprising the LE, XLE, SE and XSE. The sportier S trims have their own body details that are designed to be “instantly recognizable” from 200 yards away, the company said. The redesigned interior provides a more open cabin for the front-seat passenger and more varied and higher-quality materials, Toyota said.
MIKE OCHONMA