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• Chrysler Group to Broaden Minivan Appeal and Introduce Four New Models in 2002
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• Zafira Goes On Sale In Japan As Subaru Traviq
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• Jaguar Plays 'Wicked Games' To Launch The New Jag Generation
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• All-New Fifth-Generation Toyota Camry Sedan Moves From Sensible -- To Sensual
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• The BMW Technology Office in Palo Alto
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News of  August 29, 2001

All-New Fifth-Generation Toyota Camry Sedan Moves From Sensible -- To Sensual

Camry XLE

Photo: Toyota

To millions of Americans, the word "Camry" conveys a strong and immediate image. More than quality and reliability, and more than practicality and value, the Toyota Camry has become the very definition of the American passenger car. For four years running, it has earned the title of "best-selling passenger car in America," by responding to the rational, sensible needs of consumers seeking the benchmark in quality, reliability and value.

Now entering its fifth generation, the 2002 Toyota Camry moves from sensible -- to sensual. It will ride on its first all-new platform in 10 years. It will be roomier, quieter and more powerful. It will offer crisper handling and improved ride comfort. It will offer more safety features. It will be improved and refined in virtually every metric of comparison. And like no Camry before it, it will be a mass-market car with a niche-market feel.

Its styling, inside and out, will be bolder, smarter, more upscale and more refined. And with three distinctly different model-grades based more on buyer tastes, than on buyer wallets, the 2002 Toyota Camry will be..."a car just for me"... to a broader range of owners.

DEVELOPMENT TARGETS

"There is a saying, that ‘the more things change, the more things stay the same.’ This saying captures how Toyota approached the development of the fifth-generation Camry," said Kosaku Yamada, Camry chief engineer, Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC).

"Over the years, Camry has become a definitive term for what a family sedan should be," added Yamada. "There is a ‘Camry-ness’ that is familiar and reassuring. It is a product equity that has been cultivated and built-upon over the last decade. And it has been the key to Camry’s success as the top-selling car in America."

For the new Camry to hold its position at the top, the vehicle underwent significant improvements in almost every measurable area. To accomplish this, six development priorities were targeted. These priorities included:

• Stronger, bolder styling that will arouse the senses of a broader range of consumers. 
• Larger interior packaging, offering an immediate sense of more roominess, openness, and functional use of space.
• A new level of quiet and comfort provided by best-in-class aerodynamics and major improvements in noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH).
• Balanced dynamic performance, combining improvements in ride comfort and handling, acceleration and braking, steering response and steering impact damping.
• Advanced safety features.
• And finally, a new standard of value, including an across-the-board specification and performance upgrade, a wider array of popular and more upscale options, and increased overall quality.

To meet these six priorities, Camry required a new, more sophisticated platform. Wider and taller, with a wheelbase that is two inches longer, Camry will offer a more spacious, open interior, and a significantly raised H-point for ease of entry. The interior offers one-and-one-half more inches of rear legroom from the previous model and its coefficient of drag has been reduced from .30 to .284.

The exterior front will deliver a three-dimensional image with an aggressive grille and sharp cut headlamps. The cabin and doors feature sleek character lines, connected to a rear integrated bumper that is complemented with attractive jewel-like tail lamps. A new SE grade was designed to offer a distinctly sportier style by integrating a sport grille, black headlamp masking, fog lamps, a rear spoiler, and unique black pearl badging with chrome logos.

Camry will be powered by an all-new twin-cam 16-valve 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine with variable valve timing (VVT-i). The new engine generates 157 horsepower at 5,600 RPM, an improvement of 21 horsepower over the previous four-cylinder engine, and 162 lbs./ft. of torque at 4,000 RPM. Fuel economy is also improved with preliminary EPA city/highway gas mileage of 23/32 mpg with the four-speed automatic transmission and 24/33 mpg with the five-speed manual. In addition to the added power, the new engine is EPA-certified as an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV).

Camry will also offer a four-cam 3.0-liter V6 that produces 192 horsepower at 5,300 RPM and 209 lbs./ft. of torque at 4,400 RPM. Preliminary EPA city/highway gas mileage for the V6 with the four-speed automatic transmission is 20/28 mpg. The V6 is also EPA-certified ULEV.

Transferring power to the front wheels in both engines is an all-new smooth shifting electronically controlled four-speed automatic overdrive transmission with intelligence (4ECT-i). A five-speed manual overdrive transmission is available with four-cylinder LE and SE models. Preliminary zero-to-60 performance for the V6 is 8.3 seconds, an improvement by nearly half a second. Zero-to-60 performance for the new four-cylinder engine is improved by over one second with the manual transmission clocked at 9.1 seconds, 9.9 for the automatic.

(August 23, 2001)

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