What It Is: One heavily concealed prototype of the all-new 2018 Toyota Camry sedan.
Why It Matters: Sales for mid-size sedans like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and others may have waned a bit as crossovers rise in popularity, but the quietly competent Camry remains wildly popular among consumers. With more than 429,000 of them sold last year, the Camry is not only the bestselling Toyota model, it’s the bestselling passenger car in the USA. So yeah, it matters.
A new platform sheds weight from the next Camry.
What It Is: One heavily concealed prototype of the all-new 2018 Toyota Camry sedan.
Why It Matters: Sales for mid-size sedans like the Toyota Camry, Honda Accord, and others may have waned a bit as crossovers rise in popularity, but the quietly competent Camry remains wildly popular among consumers. With more than 429,000 of them sold last year, the Camry is not only the bestselling Toyota model, it’s the bestselling passenger car in the USA. So yeah, it matters.
Platform: The Camry will ride on Toyota’s new TNGA modular platform that made its production debut with the 2016 Prius and which will provide the basis for about half of Toyota’s vehicles by decade’s end. The TNGA bits have done wonders to tidy up the Prius’s dynamics, so we’re cautiously optimistic for the Camry when it makes the switch as well. Weight-reduction measures also are part of the plan, and we’ve heard that aluminum is being used for the hood and sundry other places in the structure.
Obviously, this prototype doesn’t reveal much about the new production car, except that it has four wheels, some windows, and panels that tape can stick to. But the proportions look familiar; given the Camry’s leadership position in the marketplace, don’t expect the design to take too many risks. We will probably see an evolution of Toyota’s recent Angry Birds front-end styling as seen on the refreshed 2017 Corolla, a theory supported by some strong bumper contours we can make out beneath the camouflage. One interesting aspect of the new car is a dropped shoulder line beneath large side windows, bucking the industry trend of thick-waisted bodies and slit-like windows. The low shoulder appears to extend all the way back while the roof and C-pillars drape down into a flat, tapering trunk. Other noteworthy details are the low, broad chin, door-mounted side mirrors, and taillamps that mimic those of the Avalon.
Powertrain: As with most other recently redesigned mid-size sedans, it’s likely that the next-generation Camry will offer only four-cylinder engines. A naturally aspirated four-cylinder will serve as the base engine—possibly an updated version of today’s 2.5-liter engine—and, as previously reported, a derivative of the turbocharged 2.0-liter found in the Lexus NX200 crossover will replace the venerable 3.5-liter V-6 as the uplevel powerplant. The Camry hybrid again will be offered for the eco-conscious.
A TRD-tuned version is less certain, but such a model would take on Ford’s new, 325-hp Fusion Sport. Early last year, Toyota brass suggested that as part of an expansion of TRD’s role in the company, such a thing could appear in 2016, and a tasty SEMA concept provided a nice idea of how that version might look. No such Camry model has been offered previously.
Competition: Honda Accord, Mazda 6, Nissan Altima, Chevrolet Malibu, Hyundai Sonata, Ford Fusion.
Estimated Arrival and Price: The 2018 Camry will be ready for mass consumption sometime in 2017. Given the Camry’s preeminence in the U.S. market, it would make sense for it to make its official debut at America’s preeminent auto show, Detroit North American International Auto Show in January. Prices likely will not rise much, if at all, from the Camry’s current low-$20K to mid-$30K price range, as straying too far upward would threaten Toyota’s sales supremacy.
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