New Camry coming - watch out Holden and Ford?

[Brazen]

Well new 2012 Camry is coming up. Should be released later this year in the US.

Be interesting to see how it goes in Australia as people downsize their vehicles. Camry makes a sensible choice, locally made, good resale, reliable, roomy, cheap to run, big boot, comfortable, capped servicing etc etc.

I think Camry is one of the most under-utilised vehicles in the Toyota range, the sedan sells well to fleets and rental companies, but a wagon or liftback (ala Mondeo, Mazda6) could really open it up to private/family buyers.

As an aside, the new Camry cant come soon enough for Toyota, they only sold just under 380,000 of them in the USA last year, the lowest sales since 1994!



Image widely circulated on the net, originally from a Japanese car mag

[malazn mafia]

Originally Posted by Brazen

As an aside, the new Camry cant come soon enough for Toyota, they only sold just under 380,000 of them in the USA last year, the lowest sales since 1994!

I think its the result of people buying Fords in USA again.

[Polyal]

Jeez they are a conservative bunch if thats anything to go by.

[JC807]

i'd have a Camry/Aurion wagon next car, but they want you to buy a Kluger instead!

[Wretched]

meh..i'd surprised if it can hold anything to the current Mondeo.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Wretched

meh..i'd surprised if it can hold anything to the current Mondeo.

You mean the Mondeo which hardly sells?

[paule11]

Camry at the front of the long line of traffic on the highway.

[Dave R]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

You mean the Mondeo which hardly sells?

It's not the car's fault Ford failed at marketing it. I've driven a couple of Mondeos and for most things except power, they crapped all over my Falcons. If this new Camry is anywhere near as competent, it will be a formidable competitor.

[XR Martin]

Camry is mostly fleet and rental sales. I reckon privately it wouldnt be outselling the Mondeo by much.

[Wretched]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

You mean the Mondeo which hardly sells?

I am not referring to sales. I mean as an overall package.
Strong sales do not always mean the car is good. Corolla and Camry prove that.

[4.0i OHC]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

You mean the Mondeo which hardly sells?

Since when did popularity determine quality? I'm struggling to think of an area in which the Camry can beat the Mondeo (with the exception of the Camry being Australian built).

And besides, the Mondeo is the number 2 seller in its segment, behind the Camry, and ahead of the Mazda 6.

[4.0i OHC]

Originally Posted by JC807

i'd have a Camry/Aurion wagon next car, but they want you to buy a Kluger instead!

This vaguely reminds me of Ford. They don't want us to buy a Falcon wagon, they want us to buy a Territory or a Mondeo wagon instead! They're both great cars, but are by no means a replacement for the Falcon wagon.

What Ford should have done is place the FG inline 6 and 6 speed ZF (as well as an EcoLPI option) in the Falcon Wagon, and continue to manufacture it. Similar to the approach that Ford took with the XF-XG ute upgrade.

[TheInterceptor]

New Camry? How exciting!!...

[Ford_The_Win]

Yes the Camry is boring and bland, and lacklustre to drive. But there's a reason why they have a reputation as dependable, reliable and well made - the same thing definitely can't be said about Holden and Ford's large car offerings.

[Bobman]

I drove behind the last model Camry last night and had to ask myself. Is it the driver the makes the car behave erratically or that hideous rear end that makes all Camrys "appear" to be driven by drivers with little-to-no skills in the driving department.

Having driven all the Camrys from the early 1980s to present, I have to say that the only ones which were slightly better than average was the Sportivo model and the early 1980s ones had more charm than the current models.

[GASWAGON]

Can't beat Toyota for reliability.... ie Corrolla, Camry, Hi Lux, Lancrusier.... Top Gear proved it with the Hilux remember..... Just turn the key and go everytime....A standard Ford should be very envious of!

[The Snout]

I had to get the pin code for my Radio from the Toyota dealer last year.

The Toyota guy got out from behind his desk, walked to the car with me and put the code in himself, then gave me the code for free. No waiting, very friendly.

210000 kms, no mechanical issues or warranty claims, friendly service.

I'll be trading in the next 6 months. Ford have a hard time trying to match my experience with Toyota for my business.

[The G6ET Spot]

The new Camry has similar lines to the hyundai i45

One another note, with everyone rubbishing Toyota.

I think the point that a lot of people aren't getting is that Toyota produce the Camry and all their cars for the mass market (average Joe). That all they want is a reliable car that transports them from point A to point B, with the minimum of fuss. To which if everyone admitted Toyota does this very well, thus being the reason why it is the top selling car manufacturer in the world.

Not everyone are car enthusiasts, what we may see as a bland and boring car average Joe sees as a car that will do the job he wants with little fuss and do it for a long time.

[The Snout]

Originally Posted by The G6ET Spot

The new Camry has similar lines to the hyundai i45

One another note, with everyone rubbishing Toyota.

I think the point that a lot of people aren't getting is that Toyota produce the Camry and all their cars for the mass market (average Joe). That all they want is a reliable car that transports them from point A to point B, with the minimum of fuss. To which if everyone admitted Toyota does this very well, thus being the reason why it is the top selling car manufacturer in the world.

Not everyone are car enthusiasts, what we may see as a bland and boring car average Joe sees as a car that will do the job he wants with little fuss and do it for a long time.

Spot on. Just see my post above yours.

[chevypower]

Originally Posted by The Snout

Spot on. Just see my post above yours.

I agree with both of you. However, there are better cars out there than the Camry for the non-enthusiast. Like the Optima and i45/Sonata.

[naddis01]

Speaking of the I45, it was the number 2 medium car behind the Camry last month.

[1TUFFUTE]

im sure the tech will be the thing to beat in future toyotas....

[smoo]

Originally Posted by EF_6

Can't beat Toyota for reliability.... ie Corrolla, Camry, Hi Lux, Lancrusier.... Top Gear proved it with the Hilux remember..... Just turn the key and go everytime....A standard Ford should be very envious of!

Are you taking the **** or are you another one sucked into this myth of all Toyotas being bullet proof.

[DJR-351]

Originally Posted by The G6ET Spot

The new Camry has similar lines to the hyundai i45

One another note, with everyone rubbishing Toyota.

I think the point that a lot of people aren't getting is that Toyota produce the Camry and all their cars for the mass market (average Joe). That all they want is a reliable car that transports them from point A to point B, with the minimum of fuss. To which if everyone admitted Toyota does this very well, thus being the reason why it is the top selling car manufacturer in the world.

Not everyone are car enthusiasts, what we may see as a bland and boring car average Joe sees as a car that will do the job he wants with little fuss and do it for a long time.

Originally Posted by The Snout

I had to get the pin code for my Radio from the Toyota dealer last year.

The Toyota guy got out from behind his desk, walked to the car with me and put the code in himself, then gave me the code for free. No waiting, very friendly.

210000 kms, no mechanical issues or warranty claims, friendly service.

I'll be trading in the next 6 months. Ford have a hard time trying to match my experience with Toyota for my business.

Nothing more to add here, other than i bought my first Landcruiser in 1980 and have had one ever since....

[MexicanBatman]

Toyota build the best air conditioners is all I'll say!

Damn G6E with it's pretend a/c

[Gman_86_xr6]

Personally I think Toyotas are massively overrated. Yes they are very reliable, and are good to their owners financially, but really so is every other Japanese manufacturer. Nissan, Honda, Suzuki and Subaru are all in the same boat as Toyota when it comes to reliability and financial benefits. Hyundai and Kia are catching them too, in the next few years I expect that Hyundai/ Kia will be the biggest selling manufacturer in the world, as every new car they introduce is a big step forward.

As far as the public are concerned, Toyota is the default brand. Want a new car? head straight to the local Toyota dealer regardless of what they sell. The Camry, Corolla, Yaris and even the HiLux are all beaten every time in any form of comparison with the majority of their competitiors, but they still outsell everything else because for most people, there is nothing else.

[Franco Cozzo]

I wasn't talking about quality, I was talking about brand perception.

Yeah the Mondeo might be the best thing since sliced bread, but it doesn't have a Toyota badge on it, so it doesn't matter "if it can't hold anything to the Mondeo", because no matter how bland and crappy it is, it will still sell more.

I'll agree the Mondeo is a great car, if it came in manual I'd probably have one of those instead of my Focus. Sales manager took me for a spin in his one when I was buying the Focus and its a nice car.

[Rico 110s]

Toyotas are good like Kambrook cheap affoardable, from personal experience I see it as no more reliable than the next car, depends on how you treat it , If you are a Pensioner or elderly you will find they dont generally drive as hard as young motivated people. Hiluxs are still running off the catch phrase unbreakable which was from ads in the nineties, and I sure know alot of people that know thats not true.

[seedywagon]

I went on a guided tour at the Toyota factory in Japan a few years back in Toyota City.
I will say, the attention to detail, at least on the Japan-produced models is nothing short of amazing. Their production method in conjunction with regular dexterity training amongst it's workers ensures that their cars are produced to the highest quality standard, it's almost dishonorable for them to do a ****** job ( at least we were told ) If one worker notices something is not right at a particular station, they pull a rip-cord and the whole production line stops dead whilst a team of sweaty little men rush to rectify the problem. Was quite fun to see.
Anyway, Toyota do make a quality product, but I like the dodginess of my Ford, it's what gives it it's character.

[stevz]

Originally Posted by Brazen

Well new 2012 Camry is coming up.

Great. Another car to sit in the right hand lane of the freeway at 85km/h and hold everybody up.