Toyota Announces Sporty 2018 Camry

Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda showed off the all-new 2018 Camry and 2018 Camry Hybrid at the Detroit Motor Show this week.

The all-new 2018 Toyota Camry features surprisingly sporty styling inside and out. It is a bold and exciting attempt to boost Toyota’s image in a segment that is losing ground to SUVs, Nasdaq writes.

Toyota said that the all-new 2018 Camry, the eighth generation of the venerable nameplate, “has gone through a total evolution, from a proven, dependable, and safe car to one that also possesses a more exciting and emotional character, thanks to its newfound sporty performance and style.”

That sums up Toyota’s intent with the new Camry in a nutshell. It is still a roomy and practical five-passenger midsize sedan. Moreover, it is still a Toyota, meaning that it comes with a well-earned expectation that it will be safe, durable, and very reliable transportation.

But Toyota is not kidding about “sporty performance and style,” concepts never before associated with the company’s boring-but-safe midsize stalwart. It is a little hard to tell in the photos, but in person, the new Camry is surprisingly low-slung, with an exterior shape that’s still Toyota-quirky but more purposeful than before.

The 2018 Camry almost looks like it might be fun to drive -- and that is something new for a car wearing the Camry nameplate.

The new Camry’s interior reinforces that impression. Like the outgoing models, the 2018 Camry’s interior is roomy and practical -- but again, there is a strong sport-sedan flavor. The driver’s view is almost more Audi than Toyota, with big round analog speedometer and tachometer gauges behind a meaty steering wheel.

Camry’s interior is still roomy and practical -- and more sports-sedan-like that people might expect

Nobody knows if the new Camry delivers on its sporting looks until the road testers get their hands on it, but at least on paper, it looks as if it might. Toyota promises “vastly superior driving dynamics” thanks to a stiffer structure and new rear-suspension design.

There are three powertrain options: An all-new 2.5-liter four-cylinder with an eight-speed automatic transmission, and a new hybrid system. The hybrid pairs the 2.5-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor and a continuously variable transmission that features a new “sports mode” that simulates a sporty six-speed.