| Toyota Stages World Premier of All-New 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid at 2006 North American International Auto Show
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., unveiled the all-new 2007 Camry and Camry Hybrid at a press conference today at the 2006 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS).
In the 23 years since it was introduced as a 1983 model, Camry has evolved to the quintessential American family sedan with iconic status.
The Toyota Camry, the best-selling car in America four years running and eight of the past nine years, is completely new for 2007 as Toyota engineers and designers follow a strategy that refuses to take continued success for granted. Toyota set out to redefine the new Camry. To accomplish this, Toyota chose to expand the very definition of Camry and in the process create a new benchmark for sedans. Designers rethought every aspect of the Camry, from its chassis to its body, interior, accessories and drivetrain. The result is a world-class sedan that not only redefines global standards for comfort, performance and intelligent design, but also is available, for the first time, with Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive.
"With the new 2007 Camry, Toyota once again raised the bar with the family sedan," said Don Esmond, senior vice president, automotive operations, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "Camry's reputation as the gold standard was developed over more than 20 years of refining this excellent package and this new Camry continues that reputation."
As designers and engineers refined their goals, they focused on trading what some owners felt was a conservative image for a more stylish, athletic, modern image. At the same time, they sought new standards of performance for both standard and hybrid models.
The challenge was to accomplish a thorough redesign without sacrificing traditional Camry qualities, including roomy interior, comfortable ride, low noise levels, and class-leading value. Toyota designers accomplished those goals by rethinking every aspect of the Camry, with special attention paid to improving driving dynamics, comfort, low noise and as interested as drivers will be in Toyota Camry's enhanced performance, refinement, value and style, they'll also be interested in its fuel-economy numbers. The standard four-cylinder CE model has EPA-estimated city/highway fuel economy ratings of 24/34. Camrys equipped with V6 engines have EPA-estimated fuel economy ratings of 22 mpg city/31 mpg highway, while Toyota Camry hybrid has fuel economy ratings of 40 mpg city/38 mpg highway.
Exterior
An all-new exterior design provides the 2007 Toyota Camry with a visual impact that signals a departure from the upright style of its predecessor. This new Camry shape is athletic and modern, with a long, high-visibility cabin set on a horizontal underbody with strong, rounded planes and elongated structures. The wheelbase now is longer than before, and track is wider, with the wheels pushed toward the extremes of each of the car's four corners.
Under the flowing lines of this sheetmetal is a body structure designed to absorb collision-impact forces and help minimize impact deformation to the passenger cabin. High-strength steel is used for B-pillar and rocker panel reinforcement to help manage overall body deformation in the event of a side collision.
Inside the passenger cabin, even the seat frames are designed to receive and help absorb side collision loads and a cross member in the center of the floor is used for the same reason.
The chassis was made more rigid by connecting the cowl front to the upper suspension towers. Additionally, Toyota Camry's hood, fenders and their brackets, and cowl are designed to crumple and absorb impact energy.
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