Detroit show: Toyota teases bold new Camry

TOYOTA has announced that it will rip the covers from its all-new Camry sedan at the Detroit motor show in January, revealing what will be the first version of the model to be imported into Australia in 30 years.

The Japanese car-maker has only released a single teaser image of the rear quarter at this stage, showing the tail-lights of a US-market XSE, which acts as the sporty halo variant and is offered with an optional 3.5-litre V6.

The darkened image and recent spy shots suggest that the eighth-generation Camry will feature the boldest design yet for the long-running nameplate, following years of conservative designs.

A more exciting design for the Camry follows Toyota Motor Company president and CEO Akio Toyoda’s promise to inject more excitement into the line-up.

A bootlid spoiler features in the teaser shot and a rear air vent forms part of the design of the LED tail-light cluster.

No other information has been released about the Camry, but it is expected to be offered with a number of powertrains, including a petrol-electric hybrid, a four-cylinder petrol and, potentially, a V6 for the Australian market to make up for the loss of the Aurion V6 large sedan that will be retired when Toyota shuts its Australian manufacturing operation late next year.

The company is staying quiet on the exact closure date, but it will be no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2017.

Once Toyota closes its Australian manufacturing facilities, the new-gen Camry will be sourced from another Toyota manufacturing hub that is widely believed to be either Japan or Thailand.

Timing for the launch of the next Camry is also unclear but given the approximate timing for the factory closure, it is likely to arrive early in 2018.

The Camry has been built in Australia since 1987 when the company started building the second-generation version here.

Since then every generation of Camry has been produced in Victoria and it remains the dominant player in the sub-$60,000 mid-size segment Down Under.

While volume in the segment has declined year on year, Camry has been the most popular mid-sizer in Australia for a record 22 years and it will top the charts in 2016 too.

So far this year, Toyota has sold 18,678 examples of the Camry, a 3.3 per cent dip over 2015, but well ahead of the second placed Mazda6 on 3635.

In North America, Camry remains one of the best selling models in terms of overall sales, with Toyota shifting 450,000 units in the region last year.