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New 2012 Camry Uncovered Down Under


New 2012 Camry Uncovered Down Under

Author: Trent NikolicDate: 25 August 2011
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Timed to coincide with the reveal in the United States, or rather follow a few hours after it, Toyota HQ in Melbourne was the scene for the uncovering of the all new Toyota Camry.

A fitting location given so many Australian jobs are linked to the local production of the long serving model. This 100 percent new model will be available and on sale in the third week of November in Australia.

24 years after the first Camry was bolted together in Australia, more than 1.6-million have been turned out of the Victorian assembly plant, with more than half of those being shipped overseas to various export markets. Whichever way you look at it and however bland you might think this sector is, the Camry has been a genuine success story here and around the world.

Australia is in fact, the third largest market in the world for Camry sales. And with more than 850,000 finding new homes overseas, you can’t argue that Camry is critical to the Australian export market.

New Camry really is new, with 100 percent of the sheet metal being different to the model it replaces. The interior too, will be significantly different from the outgoing model according to the honchos at Toyota. Dave Buttner, Head of Sales and Marketing at Toyota Australia reckons this new model is something to be proud of too.

”This is the best car that we have ever built in Australia,” he told the assembled press gathering.

We haven’t yet been shown the interior – although photos of the US interior hint at what our Camry’s cabin might look like – we’re not sure of exact engine specifications and outputs, but we do know that the Camry’s cabin will be significantly quieter with reduced noise entering the cabin for a more serene driving experience.

We also know the 4-cylinder engine will displace 2.4-litres and will, like the exterior, be all new, and Toyota claims it will be more powerful and more fuel efficient as well. In fact, the claim is that this new engine will see a 10 percent improvement in fuel consumption over the outgoing model.

As you’d expect, there’ll be plenty of new technological developments to pore over when we see a final production model including a lighter, stronger body structure, new variable ratio electric power steering, and a 5-star ANCAP safety rating once testing is completed.

There will also be a full suite of safety inclusions not to mention all the electronic driver aids you would expect. The model we saw is a pre production prototype so it wasn’t exactly what we will see come late November, but it’s pretty close to the final product. Following on from the late November release, first quarter next year will see the all new Camry Hybrid hit the market in Australia.

For starters, both the 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines will be imported, with improvements currently being made at Toyota’s Australian engine plant, and later next year once that is finished, the engines will start to be built here as well. David Buttner was also keen to emphasise that there was a reason we weren’t seeing the interior just yet.

“We’re not sure if the interior will be exactly the same as US models, so we’ll wait to show you that,” he told us.

“There are certain things we want to include for the Australian market.”

Ironically, it’s difficult to critique a car’s styling inside a stark white design studio, but initial impressions are good. There’s a stylish visage to the new Camry that sees it stepping away slightly from its previous, conservative design. It’s not radical, but it’s different.

Rather than a wholesale move away from the previous model, despite the all new sheet metal, there’s still Camry DNA in this new take on a classic idea. It is undoubtedly a Toyota and undoubtedly a Camry. This new model is something of a generational change then and it’s an attractive design.

Stay tuned for a full First Drive test in later November.

 

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News, Camry, News

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