The Japanese car maker, Toyota Motor Corporation, is seems all set to launch the facelifted model of its luxury saloon, 2012 Toyota Camry on August 24, 2012 in the Indian auto industry. Reportedly, the upcoming model will come powered by a fine-tuned 2.5 litre VVT-i petrol powertrain, which will belt out 178 bhp of maximum power with 233 Nm of peak torque. These outputs are an advantage over 164.71 bhp of power and 224 Nm of torque delivered by the existing version of Camry. The powertrain serving on the new Camry will come mated to 6-speed manual and automatic transmissions options, which will assist the overall performance of the model.
Confirming the news, Deputy Managing Director, Toyota Kirloskar Motor, Sandeep Singh, said, “We are going to launch Camry on the 24th of this month in New Delhi.” However, he refused to divulge any further details of the new model and revealed that the company will be importing the components of the all-new Camry as Completely Knocked Down kits (CKD). These kits will then be assembled at the company's manufacturing plant at Bidadi in Bangalore. Singh added, “We have enough space there to produce the car.”
Although the car maker has retained the dimension of existing model, it looks bigger than the former, might be because of its fleshy touch at exteriors. Despite the fact that the 2012 Toyota Camry has been built on the same platform as that of the outgoing Camry, the car maker has confirmed that almost 90 per cent of the components in the new edition model has been revamped. This local assembly of Camry will probably allow the auto major to price its yet-to-be launched model competitively against the likes of Honda Accord and Skoda Superb.
Toyota has endowed the revamped model of Camry with a complete cosmetic overhaul at exteriors and at the same time kept the interiors in sync with changing times by providing electrically adjustable front seats. The comfort in cabin is further enhanced by the presence of unique thigh and back rest on the rear seats.
On the other hand, the car maker is also anticipated to launch the special editions variants of its Innova and Fortuner Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) next to the launch of its revamped Camry. The new version of luxury saloon was exhibited at the 2012 Delhi Auto Expo in the first week on January 2012. Post launch, the new model will be the third addition to its series and the first one to be assembled locally in the country unlike the previous two models, which were brought to the country via Completely Built Unit (CBU) route.
Despite the rounds around the new saloon, it comes with a major setback as the company will be launching it only in the petrol guise just like Honda Accord. This can be major drawback considering the fact that the market trends are favouring diesel cars as of now and its major rival Skoda Superb comes with the options of both petrol and diesel. Thus, it is given that the 2012 Toyota Camry will only help build the brand presence in the country and not contribute much to the sales volume of the car maker.
Additionally, Toyota’s Bangalore plant is also expected to start manufacturing powertrains from August 2012 to cope up with the increasing demand of Etios hatchback and Etios sedan. Besides, in 2013, the auto giant will also start manufacturing transmission units at this plant to cater the demands of aforementioned models in Indian as well as overseas markets. From localisation of the production process to aggressive launches in the country, the Japanese car marque seems to have grasped what it takes to be successful in one of the fastest evolving auto industries of the world.
![Toyota Camry [2019-2022]](https://imgd-ct.aeplcdn.com/160x89/cw/ec/37561/Toyota-Camry-Right-Front-Three-Quarter-146683.jpg?wm=0&q=80 "Toyota Camry [2019-2022]")
