The new standard '06 will be even more basic.. details to follow.. but prolly without PW/PL and a 5 manual transmission option ( 2513 ) until the '07's come out. Marketing knows that there are MANY Camry buyers who wait until the last months of the life cycle to rebuy their Camrys because they know that the price of the last ones will be the lowest... and they dont want 'frills'.
Folks, I saw the new '06 Accord LX yesterday and they've hit a grand slam with this car. The rear end is finally proportional with the rest of the car. Toyota better have something up their sleeve if the want to stay # 1 with the Camry. The same goes for the new Corolla, as the new Civic turned out great. I just hope Toyota is up to the challenge or they will loose out big time!
You are correct in that the '06 is identical to the '05... except that marketing knows that there is a significant segment of potential Camry buyers who want NOTHING in their vehicle. This segment always waits until the last months/weeks of a life cycle in order to get the absolute lowest price and the least amount of features.
The standard Camry will have even less features on in for the remaining months of its life in order to attract these buyers. These 'extra-decontented' vehicles are in production in Oct and will arrive in Nov/Dec for Toyotathon '05 in Dec. The TVO is already printed.
Has anyone seen any pictures of the next generation Camry? I have read that it is coming out next spring. Does anyone know if it will be around March or May timeframe? TIA
The ideal Camry should look inside like an Avalon and ride like one. I have Accord and Ex and would like to go back to Camry or another Avalon as we also have 2000 Avalon XLS. There is no better riding car and you get to love the stereo heated seats temperature indicator and Big trunk. The Accord does well but does not ride well on our bumpy winter destroyed streets. I nearly bought a Camry XLE but the gray interior and dealer intransigence drove me to Honda. I get 30mpg around the expressway and the Avalon is not far behind. Our next vehicle in 07 will be a choice between a loaded Camry or Avalon basic
"The ideal Camry should look inside like an Avalon and ride like one."
You may be in for a slight disappointment. I suspect Toyota would like to continue selling Avalons into the foreseeable future, too. Besides, isn't the Camry really targeted against the Accord and the Altima?
Amen. I bought my Accord over an '03 XLEV6 Camry and hate the bumpy, noisy ride with incurable front brake shudder. I still miss my old '94 Camry which I sold to buy the Accord. Also, I think the tranny is failing at 50k...never buy a Honda again. I will look at the '07 Camry when it comes out.
typically have bumpy, noisy rides. My Civic, Accord, and Odyssey all are (or were) pretty loud on the freeway and didn't absorb bumps very well.
It's a trademark Honda trait (at least I think it is), and I guess I don't really mind. I like the no nonsense center stack, the safety features, the no nonsense pricing and trim levels (no fussy option combinations) and especially on my Accord, the Double Wishbones.
FYI, the Camry has McPherson Struts. I prefer the Wishbones.
off topic, but I wanted to let you know that I had an 03 Accord EX V6 as well, and really liked it, but ended up selling it to a friend. Just recently, at about 55,000 miles, the transmission went out (actually very hard shifts in lower gears). I had the second gear oil injector kit recall taken care of around 15,000 miles, and the dealer said it looked fine. Even though the car is now out of warranty, Honda said it would do a "courtesy replacement" at no charge. So definitely stand your ground if you have problems. I wouldn't be surprised if Honda once again has to extend the warranty on its V6 transmissions. I haven't followed the maintenance thread, so maybe it is common knowledge that Honda is covering the costs. Good luck.
From all the other pics Ive seen, those photos are pretty accurate, and they actually appeared here FIRST, I believe, before the Hollywood extra put them up.
Allegedly, they were snaps on the sly from an internal Toyota meeting, hence the centerpiece.
No need to apologize. Haven't seen you here for a while. Btw, those pictures are most likely the real pics of the next gen. Camry. I was wondering do you guys get the Crown and the Mark X down under ? I know Australia gets some really cool cars that are not available in the States.
I think your reasoning is exactly correct. Yota rarely makes major changes in the price levels of its continuing vehicles at least at the base level... New Sienna, Tacoma, Prius, Avalon are examples. They have a massive base of satisfied clients who probably will be repeat buyers across the entire line of vehicles. Being on my 4th Camry - and selling for them - I'd be shocked if the base LE or equivilent isnt within $200 of the present model.. with more features.
That being said they know this market. It's the upscale models that will command the higher prices, like the TCH, but they cant go too far since the XLE or equivilent has to stop near where the Avalon XL begins.
As an example right now.. ~ 50 units out of 70 are base LE or standard. I think this might be skewed a little since we are approaching Toyathon and the end of the life cycle on this generation. I would estimate a normal distribution to be 50% Base LE or standard.
In light of the higher fuel prices, I could be looking at trading in 2 cars (Civic, Odyssey) for another 2 cars, a van (for when company arrives, or for hauling around bulky cargo, or for road trips) and a car that gets good mileage and isn't too much to buy up front and maintain.
I think I'm staring at an Accord Value Package. But a Camry LE with a low enough price tag could sway me.
Then again, having 3 car payments is something the Mrs. wouldn't allow at all...
haha...yeah I wish we got the Crown. Unfortunately we don't. All we have is the Camry and our own version of the Avalon. Our Toyota range down here is quite small infact. What's even more strange is that the Camry we get next will be 4 cylinders ONLY, and the Avalon replacement will be our only Toyota V6 sedan.
Most people down here buy Holden Commodores (there are heaps of different ranges down here, all the way up to top of the range 402hp for not that much money.) and Ford Falcons (also heaps of ranges and up to 380hp).
the next Camry truly will go "mini-Avalon" on us, eh? I think that spells good things for the Corolla redo a year later - a look that mimics Camry and Avalon will almost certainly improve the current Corolla.
And yes, Avalon looks will improve the current Camry too, no question in my mind.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
They should, the honda Civic does. They should make more options available to all models and maybe consider a limited version to be more distinctive against the Sonata and Accord, w/ options found in the Avalon limited. Honda just added radar cruise control to their RL and the Sienna even had it before that in 2003 for the MY2004
Thanks for the info on the release of the '07 Camry. I imagine the V-6 engine will be some smaller version of the Avalon 3.5. Wondering what Toyota/Lexus is going to do with the new 3.0L engine they just introduced in the GS300 (245hp), since next year they will move to the GS350 with the Avalon engine. I can't imagine they will abandon that engine after only a year. Could they switch that engine into the Camry?
I was at the Georgetown plant 2 weeks ago. They were currently closed to factory tours because of retooling for the 07 Camry. Was told they will reopen in Feb or March AFTER release of the 07 Camry.
If they were trying to keep the release date secret, they would not blab that information on a factory tour. Aren't they going to make several months of an '06 Camry also? How can they be retooling already?
I think that March was just a rough estimate. Production should start in January, with the official launch possibly in March, with the plant tours coming back in March or April.
At least initially the Hybrid Camry will be based on the 2.4L engine due here in Fall '06 - it gives Toyota two launches this year for the Camry. Mar 1 for the redesigned exterior and Oct/Nov for the HSD model.
Putting the HSD on the new V6 ( whichever size they use ) would start impinging on the Avalon... and the typical Camry buyer generally is not interested in the V6's at any price.
Comments
kdhspyder
But it is strange how they didn't just slap a CE badge on there, since the CE trim level is still used in the Sienna and Corolla.
The Sandman
Sure, but the styling makes it look like an unloved pug.
That's what screwed the Accord.
The standard Camry will have even less features on in for the remaining months of its life in order to attract these buyers. These 'extra-decontented' vehicles are in production in Oct and will arrive in Nov/Dec for Toyotathon '05 in Dec. The TVO is already printed.
kdhspyder
You may be in for a slight disappointment. I suspect Toyota would like to continue selling Avalons into the foreseeable future, too.
It's a trademark Honda trait (at least I think it is), and I guess I don't really mind. I like the no nonsense center stack, the safety features, the no nonsense pricing and trim levels (no fussy option combinations) and especially on my Accord, the Double Wishbones.
FYI, the Camry has McPherson Struts. I prefer the Wishbones.
Not sure about its accuracy. We'll find out in a few months...
Allegedly, they were snaps on the sly from an internal Toyota meeting, hence the centerpiece.
~alpha
That being said they know this market. It's the upscale models that will command the higher prices, like the TCH, but they cant go too far since the XLE or equivilent has to stop near where the Avalon XL begins.
I see #5 in my own future prolly a TCH though.
kdhspyder
kdhspyder
In light of the higher fuel prices, I could be looking at trading in 2 cars (Civic, Odyssey) for another 2 cars, a van (for when company arrives, or for hauling around bulky cargo, or for road trips) and a car that gets good mileage and isn't too much to buy up front and maintain.
I think I'm staring at an Accord Value Package. But a Camry LE with a low enough price tag could sway me.
Then again, having 3 car payments is something the Mrs. wouldn't allow at all...
March '06
Most people down here buy Holden Commodores (there are heaps of different ranges down here, all the way up to top of the range 402hp for not that much money.) and Ford Falcons (also heaps of ranges and up to 380hp).
And yes, Avalon looks will improve the current Camry too, no question in my mind.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I'd say its pretty much a done deal.
The 2006 is a lame duck Toyotathon Closeout model.
Aren't they going to make several months of an '06 Camry also? How can they be retooling already?
If so, I supposed the hybrid engine will be the same as the Toyota Highlander hybrid one.
Which has a V6.
With 268 horses under the hood, it should fair greatly with the competition.
Even with that engine, the Camry is not as powerful than the flagship sedan Avalon.
Putting the HSD on the new V6 ( whichever size they use ) would start impinging on the Avalon... and the typical Camry buyer generally is not interested in the V6's at any price.
kdhspyder
It seems like the last picture with the 2007 Camry in white looks kinda-like a Mazda MPV