Reports State that Camry Hybrid will Debut in 2006
Despite Honda's efforts to offer partial- or mild-hybrid gasoline-electric powertrains in its quirky and hardly practical two-seat Insight and more user-friendly Civic, Toyota is the dominant force.
 |
| According to a Japanese newspaper, the Camry will be Toyota's next full-hybrid system vehicle. (Photo: Toyota Canada) |
Not only does its most recent Prius offer midsize spaciousness for the same price as its compact predecessor, but it's a full-hybrid system that offers many benefits over partial systems. And Toyota isn't the only manufacturer touting its capabilities, with Ford becoming the most recent to license components for its upcoming Escape Hybrid and Nissan to license the entire setup for a soon-to-be-released Altima Hybrid.
Joining the Prius, as well as the Toyota Highlander hybrid and Lexus LX 400h set to arrive before fall of 2004, will be a Toyota Camry hybrid due out in 2006, according to last Friday's Nihon Keizai newspaper in Japan.
 |
| Rumored to be targeting the North American market, the Camry hybrid will join Toyota's already popular Prius hybrid (shown). (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
News agency Reuters, reporting on the Japanese business daily's story, stated that Toyota was targeting North America as its main source of 100,000 hybrid Camry sales per annum. North America is already responsible for more than 400,000 Camry sales per year, which incidentally is the most sales of any passenger car.
Offering a standard response to questions about future products, Toyota spokesman Shinya Matsumoto would not comment to the reporting newspaper, instead saying, "We do not talk about our product plans."