Toyota has unveiled a teaser image of the next-generation Camry that oozes mystery and excitement, two adjectives rarely associated with the sensible sedan. The enigmatic single image showcases a car adorned with Prius-style daytime running lights (DRLs), prominent air intakes, and side bumper canards, suggesting the involvement of Toyota’s performance-oriented GR division.
While the Prius-like lights catch the eye, it’s clear that this isn’t a Prius, as the mirrors and the wing-to-fender line are distinct. All signs point to this being a sneak peek at the 2025 Camry, with Toyota choosing to provide a preview in the form of a GR concept. The automaker has shared minimal details, presenting only a single image accompanied by the headline “A New Dawn is Coming” and a teaser question, “Can you guess what’s on the horizon?”
2022 Toyota Camry
As of now, specific technical information about the upcoming Camry remains scarce. It’s reported to be built on an evolved TNGA-K platform, and while no powertrain details have been disclosed, it’s anticipated that a range of internal combustion engines and hybrid options will continue to be available.
Given that this is our first glimpse, there’s no insight into the car’s interior. However, Toyota’s recent models, including the Prius and Crown, feature a large portrait-oriented infotainment screen atop the centre stack. The Camry has a strong track record of offering advanced safety technology, and it’s likely this trend will persist in the new iteration.
The teaser image raises questions and anticipation, leaving enthusiasts and Toyota aficionados eagerly awaiting more information about this bold and enigmatic next-generation Camry.
UMW Toyota Motor continues to post strong sales with the month of February having seen deliveries of 6,366 Toyota vehicles and 66 Lexus vehicles for a total of 6,432 units. As in January, the number was higher than for the same month in 2021, with a jump of 27% in total sales volume.
The company is optimistic about its 2022 performance being able to keep it in the top position of the non-national sector. It has already launched an updated Camry model which has a new engine and is counting on its hybrid electric vehicle technology in the Corolla Cross Hybrid to gain greater popularity among Malaysians.
Latest Camry 2.5V with the new Dynamic Force engine (above) and the hybrid powertrain in the Corolla Cross Hybrid (below).
For the month of March, there’s a special promotion for the Yaris and Vios models (E & G variants) which has value-added benefits worth RM4,000. Additionally, with all models (except the Hilux), there are still savings on sales tax which is expected until June 30, 2022. As both the Yaris and Vios are assembled locally, the exemption is 100% and the savings amount to more than RM2,000.
Besides new models planned for launch in later months, the company also continues to develop and grow its sales and aftersales network. Recently, it opened a new 2S outlet with Body & Paint services in Skudai, Johor to serve the growing number of customers in the southern state. The outlet is operated in partnership with Super Evergreen (Nusajaya) Sdn Bhd and joins UMW Toyota Motor’s extensive network of authorised facilities around the country.
A new Toyota dealership has opened in Johor to provide Body & Paint aftersales services, including accident repairs and painting.
“We truly appreciate the support our customers have given towards the Toyota brand and are optimistic about the continuous growth of the Malaysian automotive sector. As we continue to innovate and bring mobility products offering the absolute best technology and safety that enhances lifestyles, we trust that Malaysians will continue to choose Toyota as their preferred road companion,” said Ravindran K, President of UMW Toyota Motor.
While busy with sales, UMW Toyota Motor also carried out other activities last month. An initiative to give back to the community saw the contribution of RM140,000 to the National Cancer Society Malaysia which will help with the purchase of a new Digital Doppler Ultrasound Machine to provide better treatment to cancer patients.
The company also picked winners of the 15th Toyota Dream Car Art Contest who will travel to Japan and represent Malaysia in the World Contest. The contest, which has been running since 2004, draws entrants from many countries and invites them to show their idea of the future of mobility by drawing their dream car.
The Vios Challenge one-make series will have its fifth season with a total of 6 races during the year.
There’s also a full motorsports program planned for this year, starting with the first round of the Vios Challenge/TGR Festival on March 18 at the Sepang International Circuit. This will be the fifth season of the popular one-make series and will consist of a total of 6 races. Additionally, there will also be the online equivalent – the GR Velocity E-sports championship – also in its fifth season. It is billed as one of the most lucrative local online racing series in the country, attracting close to 1,000 participants with more than 1 million online spectators.
The Funny Car is probably unique to the USA where drag racing is popular and a class called the Funny Car class was created for a certain type of drag-racing car. The cars appeared in the mid-1960s and because of their heavily modified bodies which made them look odd, they came to be called ‘Funny Cars’.
The class has continued to this day in events organised by the US National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and among the contenders is Toyota. The brand has been competing in Funny Car competition since 2012. Up till this 2021 season, Toyota has used a Camry and prior to that model, the Celica and Solara were run.
180 wins in 20 seasons
The 2021 season thus marks the 20th anniversary of Toyota’s official involvement with the NHRA and competitors in both Top Fuel and Funny Car classes. Over the 20 seasons. Drivers using Toyota cars have won 137 Top Fuel and 43 Funny Car races along with 6 Top Fuel and 3 Funny Car championships. For the 2022 NHRA season, Toyota will use a new racing car and will, for the first time, campaign the latest GR Supra.
This year, Toyota has been using a Camry-based racer which will be replaced for the 2022 NHRA season by a new racing car based on the GR Supra.
Support from TRD
Toyota has always chosen to enter racing cars that closely resemble production models and this GR Supra-based Funny Car is no exception. The new body for the GR Supra Funny Car marks the most significant styling characteristics of any previous Funny Car.
“After 10 years of fielding the Camry in NHRA Funny Car competition, it’s really exciting for us to be moving to the GR Supra and ultimately the next generation of Funny Cars for NHRA,” said Paul Doleshal, Group Manager of Motorsports for Toyota Motor North America.
“Our team at TRD (Toyota Racing Development), along with the design team at Calty (Toyota’s advanced studio in Los Angeles), worked hard to incorporate as many features as possible from the production GR Supra into the Funny Car that J.R. Todd and Alexis DeJoria will drive in 2022.”
Safety enhancements
In addition to the augmented styling characteristics of the new GR Supra Funny Car, safety enhancements have also been made during the development of the new car. TRD worked closely with Toyota Champion Funny Car driver, J.R. Todd, on many of the safety enhancements during the nearly two-year development process.
These include giving the driver more visibility while sitting behind the wheel and adding more room around their helmets along with additional safety foam in the cockpit.
“It’s been a really unique experience getting to work with the engineers at TRD on the new GR Supra Funny Car,” said Kalitta Motorsports Funny Car driver J.R. Todd. “We all worked together on some of the issues we’ve faced for some time including visibility.”
UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) has initiated a Special Service Campaign (SSC) to replace the airbag inflator module components of certain Toyota models sold by the company. The vehicles involved in this campaign were subjected to a previous Takata airbag inflator module recall and repaired between 2014 and 2019. At that time, a certain number of vehicles were replaced with non-desiccated airbag inflators modules produced by Takata but for this new SSC, those airbag inflator modules will be replaced with one that has improved components.
Approximately 41,000 Toyota vehicles
UMWT says there are approximately 41,000 Toyota vehicles manufactured from 2001 to 2013 involved. These are the Toyota Vios produced from May 2003 to August 2007, and September 2007 to July 2013; Toyota Corolla Altis produced from July 2001 to July 2007; Toyota Camry produced from June 2002 to December 2005; and Toyota Yaris produced from January 2006 to August 2007.
(Above and below) The models being recalled for the Special Service Campaign
In accordance with standard practice, the company will notify all affected vehicle owners officially and perform the necessary replacement at no charge to the owners. In the event that you believe your vehicle to be affected but have not received any notification, you can visit Toyota’s Special Service Campaign webpage to check using the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Checker. To those who have uploaded the Toyota Drive Apps, there is also a link to Toyota’s SSC page and the VIN Checker. Information on other vital SSCs is also available on the webpage.
Further information can also be obtained from any authorised Toyota service centre or by calling the Toyota Freephone at 1-800-8-TOYOTA (869682).
UMW Toyota Sdn Bhd iaitu pengedar kenderaan Toyota di Malaysia dengan bangganya mengumumkan bahawa model Toyota Camry 2019 dianugerahkan dengan penarafan 5 bintang pada hasil ujian kemalangan kereta baru negara-negara Asia Tenggara (ASEAN NCAP) baru-baru ini. (more…)
UMW Toyota Motor (UMWT) telah melancarkan model yang telah dipratontonkan sebelum ini iaitu Toyota Camry 2019. Model ini telah dilancarkan secara rasmi di Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2018 (KLIMS 2018) yang sedang berlangsung sekarang sehingga 2 Disember 2018 di MITEC Kuala Lumpur. (more…)
