LexusLuver

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...hdo&refer=asia

Toyota Moves Up Camry Release, Plans Hybrid Model, Analysts Say

May 12 (Bloomberg) -- Toyota Motor Corp., the world's second- largest automaker, is speeding the release of its next Camry sedan by at least six months, aiming to keep it the best-selling U.S. car, three industry analysts familiar with the company's plans said.

The 2007 Camry should arrive at dealers as early as February 2006, said Jim Hall, an analyst with AutoPacific Inc., basing his comments on discussions with Toyota. That would bring the new model to market 4 1/2 years after the current edition's release. Toyota has redesigned the Camry every five years since its 1983 debut and put it on sale around early September each time.

``Shortening the product cycle is one of the ways we can invest in having a more-desirable product,'' said Jim Press, Toyota's chief operating officer in the U.S., in an interview yesterday. Press declined to comment on the Camry directly. ``One of our philosophies is to change a car before it gets old.''

The Camry has battled Honda's Accord to remain the best- selling car in the U.S. in seven of the past eight years. The sedan, which Press called Toyota's ``money car,'' contributed 21 percent of the 2.06 million autos Toyota sold in the U.S. in 2004.

The Camry will also be the first U.S.-built Toyota gasoline- electric hybrid, according to Hall and two other analysts: Joe Langley, of CSM Worldwide Inc. in Farmington Hills, Michigan and Catherine Madden, who forecasts auto production plans for Global Insight Inc. in Lexington, Massachusetts. The analysts based their information on discussions with Toyota and suppliers to the Georgetown, Kentucky, plant that builds the car.

Toyota has said it will eventually offer hybrid drives in all its top-selling models, wants to build on the lead it holds in hybrid sales of Prius cars and add a direct competitor to Honda Motor Co.'s gasoline-electric Accord that went on sale in 2004, Hall said. ``There's some competitive pressure to get a hybrid Camry into the market soon,'' said Hall, who is based in Southfield, Michigan.

``Camry is a natural next step, but we haven't made any decisions,'' on selling a hybrid version, said John Hanson, a spokesman for Toyota's U.S. sales unit in Torrance, California. Toyota is based in Toyota City, Japan.

<VENOM>

hope that means the new ES will follow along also

xravexboix

Technically they have it worked out... if they can just recycle the RX hybrid drivetrain =D but it's for the next gen Camry... which probably means that the next gen ES will get the hybrid drivetrain since we'll be seeing the same RX for the 2.5 Gen (07-08).

I can't wait for a hybrid Sequoia

STIG

i dont really tihnk hybrid sequioa would make much sense. hybrid for power? fuel economy? dunno. but i would LOVE to see hybrid supra

Lexusfreak

It should mean that exactly! I'm guessing we should start seeing 'spy shots' of the next gen Camry at the latest the fall.

Gojirra99

Actually I think it does, for both power & better fuel economy.

BrickHead

In the past the ES always debuted 1 or 2 months before the Camry.

NeverSatisfied

The early debut of the new model is probably Toyota's eagerness to have a hybrid model w/ the new bodystyle. Sounds like good marketing strategy to me.

LexFather

Anew bodystyle already? Wow, the current one is still flying off dealer lots The Accord needs a re-do, if anyone.

Camry+hybrid= even more sales. The Accord Hybrid sells I think 2,500 to 3,000 a month.

Gojirra99

Nissan has licensed the hybrid technology from Toyota & will offer a hybrid Altima next year too, maybe Toyota wants to introduce the Camry hybrid ahead of the Altima hybrid too ? I heard Nissan is not going to get the latest version of the technology though

XeroK00L

February 2006!! That means the ES350 is arriving then as well, just a few months after the new IS goes on sale.

The new Camry if following the tradition will definitely share the same 280hp 3.5L V6 that the Avalon and the ES350 have, which means the hybrid Camry, based on the same V6, will have more power than the 278hp 3.3L V6-based hybrid Highlander/RX400h but probably tuned lower than the GS450h for better fuel economy. And since the GS450h will have far more than 300hp and the Avalon has 280hp, I'd say that this hybrid Camry will have about 300hp if not a bit more.

But then again if the hybrid Camry does have 300hp then the issues naturally associated with high-powered FWD cars will need to be addresssed.

flipside909

You should calm down with your speculation.

XeroK00L

Again, I don't see anything wrong with my speculations. At least they are reasonable and nothing out of line (i.e. based on the facts we already know), don't you think?

flipside909

Reasonable yes, but there are people that would read what you posted as it were true facts. And unfortunately, there is an audience out there that believes in everything they are reading. Unless it's information furnished from the definitive source, it's all speculation.

xravexboix

W/O speculation based on facts forums wouldn't be as fun! It's almost like those freaks that write those 'fan fictions' about whatever topic it's on... but I do believe that Toyota does have people scouring the internet looking for opinions and then analyzing the data w/ relevant market data and see if it would work.

It's always fun to hear about possible products or ideas until it gets ridiculous... but it's funny, because you're right. A lot of people do take what they read as cold hard fact.

Here's an example of an April fools joke I used (I think I've shown this example in another post) but it's hilarious because I made the April Fool's part in tiny fine print.

[Link]: http://www.solaraguy.org/viewtopic.php?t=16090

As for the hybrid sequoia idea... i was joking =P but it would be nice (I'd never own a Sequoia... too big for me) to see it get its mpg higher than the -teens