India-bound new-gen Toyota Camry revealed in Thailand

-    The new-gen Camry in the ASEAN-spec was revealed for the Thailand market.

-    The seventh-gen Camry will come to India in mid-2019.

-    Will rival against the likes of the Honda Accord, Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Passat.

Toyota revealed the new-gen Camry for the American market earlier this year at the Detroit Motor Show.  Now, after almost 10 months, the eight-gen Camry has made its debut in the ASEAN-spec in Thailand. The India-spec car will carry the same specification when it arrives in our country by mid-2019.  

Moving to the same Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform as the Lexus ES, the new Camry is bigger, lighter and more feature-loaded than before. Styling wise, the ASEAN-spec model carries design that is almost similar to the US-spec model with swept back LED headlamps, massive grille on the fascia and sleek tail LED lights. The sedan sits on 17-inch wheels and is available with seven colour options across four variants in the Thailand market. The new Camry takes a lot of cues from the upmarket Lexus. Even the driver-focused cabin has Lexus inspiration in terms of design and materials used. 

For the Thai market, there are two engine options – a 2.0-litre producing 165bhp/200Nm and a 2.5-litre producing 205bhp/250Nm. The former is paired with a six-speed while the latter gets an eight-speed torque converter. Meanwhile, the hybrid powerplant is a 2.5-litre motor mated to an electric motor and gets a CVT automatic transmission. 

Equipment wise, the Camry comes with eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system, heads-up display, JBL music system with nine speakers, multifunction steering wheel with paddle shifters, TPMS, three-zone climate control, wireless charging, and eight-way adjustable drivers seats with ventilation. Moreover, the seats get memory function, with electric sunshade, auto headlamps, and onboard Wi-Fi hotspot. On the safety front, the Toyota sedan will come to India with nine airbags, pre-collision system, and lane departure alert, radar cruise control, apart from rear cross traffic alert, hill-start assist, and blind spot monitor.  

When it arrives in India sometime mid-2019, the India-spec Camry will come only in the hybrid guise similar to the current one. We expect the prices to be slightly higher than the model it replaces. It will continue to remain in the fray against the likes of Honda Accord, Skoda Superb and Volkswagen Passat.