Toyota Announces Hybrid Camry - Will be made in Kentucky

So Toyota's made the choice of which model to upgrade to hybrid status -- very cool!

Seems like a good fit from the sales standpoint -- sounds like the Camry is a pretty big seller, and in the same general price area as the Prius (maybe a little cheaper?)

I'll be interested to see what features the Prius and the hybrid Camry share -- and where they differ.

I'd be hard-pressed to figure what Toyota could put in a hybrid Camry that would make me trade my Prius in for one, though. Since the Camrys don't have a hatchback option, they are a lot less interesting to me.

 

We knew about Camry being available as a hybrid for the 2007 model year last fall. It was a natural fit for "next".

The question that still remains is what configurations (yes, plural) will be available.

An obvious choice is a Camry with nothing but HSD inside, no clues whatsoever visually from the driver's seat that it's a hybrid. That model will likely have a 4-cylinder engine too. It would be remarkably similar to Camry now, only much better emissions & efficiency.

So what will the other model(s) offer? Will they use the identical beefy setup in Highlander-Hybrid, a 6-cylinder engine with a very large electric motor? After all, they share the same frame. So a body the swap would be realistic. That would provide a wealth of speed and the power to tow a trailer, yet it would still deliver SULEV.

Once Camry-Hybrid becomes available, it's all over. That's the final nail-in-the-coffin for traditional vehicles. Camry is the #1 selling car in the United States already. Prius is the #1 selling hybrid in the world, and it will be celebrating it's 9th model year when Camry-Hybrid debuts. The other automakers will really be struggling at that point if they don't have something practical to compete with.

The new automotive age we've all been dreaming about will soon become undeniable. Yippee!

 

That'd be my bet -- i.e., it will not be a "showy" hybrid, like the Prius. (Prius == hybrid -- the two are strongly linked in the publics mind, and are intended to be.)

More like the Honda Civic Hybrid (with only an HSD symbol on the back to indicate it's a hybrid.)

Interesting to see if an MFD is in the base Camry hybrid models...

Since the Camry continues to be a sedan-only model (unless things change in 2007), I had assumed that the other models would be similar to higher-priced current Camrys -- more features which aren't hybrid related.

E.g.., leather seats, nav, bluetooth.

In fact, I wonder if the Camry hybrid will be the first model where the HSD is like automatic transmission -- an option/choice you make on any Camry model.

It's definitely a major step on that road. Huzzah!

 

Looks like job security for my wife.She works at tmmk georgetown ky.
she has worked there for 10 yrs and the last 5 in quality contorl.
they also make the sinna and the avalon in the same plant.
when i bought my 2005 pirus pkg 3 in march i found only one dealership in
ky that had one in stock and they were the only dealer that offered to
give me the toyota discount.bought it the next day and drove it home.I put on the comfortread tires the next month and have driven it in high winds with no problems with drifting and dont have a road noise problem maybe they started doing the tweeking with the 2005

 

Newbie question: Where are the Prii currently manufactured?

 

A Camry hybrid,hmm? Yes I have heard of other hybrids in the past; a suv ( now HiHy ), a van ( yet to come ) and a car. Now we know it is the Camry. I will have to do a little asking when I go to the region for HiHy training in 2 weeks, 8)

 

With the HSD becoming more mainstream now that it will be put in the Camry, I hope they will keep the Prius around for "early adopters" and put even more advanced technology in the next major revision. I would LOVE to see a plug-in hybrid Prius available directly from Toyota when it comes time for me to trade in Priuscilla.

- Bill

 

If any of your get a chance to visit Lexington Kentucky, you really should schedule a visit to the Toyota assembly plant. We were there the day after Easter. It's a nice tour. Even more so with a Prius in the guest parking lot.

Plan ahead though because the tours are pre-booked and the chance of dropping in on an open tour is almost nil.

 

I cannot build a car comparable to my Prius on the Toyota.com website for a Camry. I have posted the interior dimensions on this forum before, and they are quite comparable.

A fully loaded Prius, which I have, has a multitude of features that just are not avaliable on any Camry.

No NAV
No Bluetooth
No Homelink
No Energy Monitor, none of those screens.

Six speaker system instead of nine (functionally, maybe not much difference there)

A fully loaded Camry is 28, 172 (includes leather faced seats)
A fully loaded Prius is 28, 155 (includes the leather faced seats)

The fully loaded Prius is a really good deal, featuring an electronics suite found only on much more expensive vehicles. It is a better value than a Camry.

The Toyota.com website also says one, just one, is avaliable in the area for SE Toyota distributors (Florida, Georgia, NC,SC, Al & Miss)

 

Since Prius is the only hatchback Toyota offers and their business goal is to increase marketshare, it wouldn't make any sense to discontinue Prius... especially with the attention the name gets now.

 

Hybrid driven: Toyota aims the 2004 Prius at a mass-market audience and gives us a glimpse of things to come - Product

 

Hmm. What will it be called?

The Highlander Hybrid became the Hi-Hy.

What will the new Cambry Hybrid be called? The Cam-Hy? I kinda like Cam-brid.

I agree they'll keep the Prius around and as a hatchback. When they redesigned it as a hatchback it seems it really took off. And yes, Prius has become synonymous with hybrid, thus allowing less efficient or less "hybrid" cars to ride on the Prius' coattails. I know we're a little biased here, but does it seem that the three Honda hybrid models just don't generate the excitement the Prius does? When I read non-auto review articles about hybrids, seems it's always the Prius that is mentioned. (I posted one about "cigar cars" and another about electric hybrid warships...both mentioned Prius specifically.)

The Camry is the natural "next" in the line to go hybrid. I had a few ask at the Earth Day fair if Toyota would make a hybrid version of the Camry. I also see them producing Cam-Brids with all of the bells and whistles the high-end Prius has, and maybe more. (I'd like the back-up beep to be heard on the outside) I wonder if they'll offer those cool signal, tilt, fold-up side mirrors on the Cam-Brid?

Do we know what is being offered on the Highlander Hybrid yet?

So, that will give Toyota superior hybrid technology in three popular styles: hatchback, SUV and sedan.

After the Cam-brid...which one do you think will be next?

 

I'd like to see them get it in the Tundra truck. That'll put Ford, Daimler Chrysler, and GM all on their ears.

 

I do believe you can get a Nav on the higher end Camrys, and a quick check on Edmunds does confirm this. The higher end audio system on this Camry also includes 8 speakers (not 9 tho). On the other hand, they're both JBL (Junky But Loud) so what's the point really?

And another thing to keep in mind is the Camry *is* a higher quality car than the Prius. You will not find as much hard plastic, you will find seats that aren't quite torture devices, and you will get less road noise.