News

Jun 05, 2023

2025 Toyota Camry: Everything We Know So Far

With growing competition from its mid-size executive sedan rivals, here's what Toyota could have in store for its popular upcoming 9th-gen Camry The mid-size sedan segment is still kicking and one

With growing competition from its mid-size executive sedan rivals, here's what Toyota could have in store for its popular upcoming 9th-gen Camry

The mid-size sedan segment is still kicking and one might say even seeing a bit of a resurgence despite the heavy onslaught of SUVs being introduced in what feels like every other week or so. Of course, this segment is dominated by popular models such as the Honda Accord, Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5, and Nissan Altima. Among these, the one that’s maintained its status and held its own ground is the Toyota Camry, a nameplate that first made its appearance back in the 1980s.

Spanning eight generations, the Camry is one of Toyota’s stalwart models alongside the equally popular RAV4 and the former has been a sales chartbuster for the brand due to being reliable, affordable, and economical. Unlike its rivals, the 8th generation Camry has continued to cater to enthusiasts since its available in TRD guise with plenty of sporty upgrades with all that being said, Toyota is now gearing up to introduce the 9th gen Camry and here’s what we know so far about it.

RELATED: The Best Cars Under $35,000

Toyota has recently introduced an all-new design language on most of its recent models. More specifically, the new Prius hatchback and the Crown sedan fully showcase the extensive change in looks when compared to their predecessors. The Camry is all set to go down this route as well since numerous spy shots have already made their way across the web which show the heavily camouflaged test mules. Upon closer inspection, it is easy to examine and deduce the certain elements that are currently visible through the camouflage itself and compare it with the current-gen Camry.

Just like the new upcoming Crown Sport SUV along with its sedan counterpart and the Prius, the next-gen Camry will likely feature the C-shaped LED headlight surrounds and lower-bumper intakes. When viewed from the side, the new Camry will not have the same raked profile as the Crown, instead sticking with the traditional four-door design that it’s best known for.

It also appears that the upcoming model may have a mesh pattern grille in order to accommodate the sensor for the radar-based cruise control system. Other additions along the sides may involve new alloy wheels but the ones which currently have been spotted on the test mule are largely similar to the current-gen Camry.

Upon being viewed from the rear, the only prominent detail appears to be the rather pronounced spoiler on the boot lid. Even though the rest of the rear end is a bit tricky to identify due to the camouflage, it is likely that the upcoming Camry will follow the trend of featuring a lightbar that connects the taillights, a trait that’s currently present on the Crown sedan.

All these updates would mean that the upcoming Camry is likely to be more of an evolutionary upgrade over its current-gen counterpart and could heavily borrow the ‘Hammerhead’ design that’s present on the new Toyota models like the Crown sedan, Crown Sport SUV, and Prius. The one thing that’s likely to be carried over for the new Camry is the platform itself which is the TNGA-K that currently underpins several other Toyota and Lexus models in turn retaining the same wheelbase of 111.2 inches albeit with some slight revisions to the front and rear overhangs to make it look longer.

RELATED: The Secrets Behind Toyota's Bullet-Proof Reliability

For the uninitiated, the current-gen Camry has always grabbed the top spot for being one of the most powerful sedans in its class and this is all thanks to it being available with the optional 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V-6 engine. This unit develops a mighty 301 horsepower and 267 pound-feet of torque whilst being paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Toyota also offers the current Camry with two other engines with CVT transmissions, a base 2.5-liter, four-cylinder engine that puts out 203 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque, and the 2.5-liter hybrid engine developing 208 horsepower and 163 pound-feet of torque. This is quite an important detail as when you compare the Camry with its current key rivals, the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata, it is the only one to be offered with an all-wheel drive option and a V-6 powertrain.

Additionally, it is also the most economical among the two as the V-6 is rated at a combined fuel economy of 26 MPG whereas the four-cylinder is rated at giving a combined economy of 32 MPG and the hybrid offers a combined economy of 52 MPG.

However, the next-gen Camry is expected to see a major shake-up when it comes to the powertrain department. The upcoming sedan is reportedly expected to miss out on its naturally-aspirated 2.5-liter mill which may instead be reserved for a more performance-focused GR (Gazoo Racing) variant.

As a replacement for this, it is likely that the next-gen Camry will instead retain the existing 2.5-liter hybrid powertrain and additionally receive the next-gen 2.4-liter hybrid turbo engines that were recently introduced on the 2023 Lexus RX F Sport 500h and Toyota Crown sedan and the hybrid engine from the RAV4 Prime, making it a fully hybrid model.

These aforementioned powertrains just might be the ideal replacement for the venerable V-6 powertrain, as these units are expected to develop somewhere between 302 and 366 horsepower. Therefore, with these new hybrid powertrains the next-gen Camry is not only shaping up to be performance oriented but also capitalizing on being highly economical which are attributes that define almost if not all of Toyota models today.

As expected, the new Camry is more than likely to get a completely refreshed interior and that’s a big step in the right direction since it was the only drawback of the current model. Even though the latter is a thoroughly well-built product with plenty of features and convenience features, its interior was simply lacking in terms of finesse and quality compared to its rivals due to the type of hard plastics it used.

So how is Toyota going to work around this you may ask? Well, the answer is quite simple and apparent as it will take a page out of Lexus’ or more specifically the Crown sedan’s playbook and implement a new design along the same lines.

This would mean that there is likely to be a new dashboard that is seamless and tidy along with better use of leatherette materials sprinkled throughout the cabin. Of course, the center console is expected to see a revision as well, with things being tidied up in order to make room for storage and cupholders.

Speaking of enhancements, the upcoming Camry is more than likely to be equipped with Toyota’s latest Audio Multimedia interface from the Prius or the new Tundra which consists of an 8.0-inch or a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity along with a fully-digital driver’s display that can be had on higher variants of both models.

Another big change that’s expected on the new Camry is the overhaul to its active safety features as the current model was equipped with aging Safety Sense 2.5+. Instead, it will be equipped with the Safety Sense 3.0 active safety features as standard equipment which includes tech like

It also incorporates a feature called "Proactive Driving Assist" that helps to “provide gentle braking into curves or gentle braking and/or steering to help support driving tasks, such as distance control between your vehicle and a preceding vehicle, pedestrian, or bicyclist.”

RELATED: Upcoming Toyota Models To Watch Out For

The Camry has always been a successful product for Toyota and so much so that it not only outsells the likes of the Honda Accord and Hyundai Sonata but it currently ranks 7th in the top nameplates category as per the data gathered by the Automotive News Research and Data Center.

Seeing over an 11% percent sales growth throughout the year with more than 150,000 units sold, the Camry sits proudly among crossovers and SUVs alike which is a huge achievement as the sedan segment in general has seen a downward spiral over the years. This just goes to show why Toyota is consistently capitalizing on the success of the Camry nameplate and ensures to keep it going.

Then comes the question of when is it due to arrive and for that, it’s expected that Toyota will debut the next-gen Camry at the L.A. Auto Show which is set to take place from November 17-26th of this year. However, this will likely be a 2025 model-year vehicle and will see a substantial bump in price, probably seeing a starting price of around $30,000 and going up to $40,000 for top-spec variants.

A penchant for all things on four wheels and tonnes of research pertaining to evolution of automotive technologies.