[Sarvodaya]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Ok, just saw the specs. The non hybrid is now really loaded so the pricing now being closer to Hybrid makes sense. But this really kills the petrol one now. 3 lakhs more gets you the hybrid. At this price point 3L for a buyer is immaterial and he will just stretch and get the Hybrid.

What's good to see from Toyota is finally they realised safety features are important in this segment. 7 airbags, VSA is a good to see.

Features wise now nobody can complain that the Camry is under specced. It's now really loaded. Electric reclining rear seats, ventilated front seats, 3 zone climate, rear electric curtains and side manual curtains really stand out as USP in this segment.

Only Missing is Navigation, sunroof. Come on Toyota how much this will cost. Electric reclining rear seats seems to be segment first. The hybrid is the better choice since it comes with automatic LED Headlights, Power Tilt and Telescopic Steering with memory. Only if Hyundai Sonata had a diesel and was well marketed.

[nik_kapur]

What is this insane pricing all about .. We got an accord 4 years ago for 20lakhs on road ! Now one must dish out 33lakhs for a Camry ?

Why not extend ones budget and get an Audi A6 for 44 L or better get an A4 or 3 series for the same money. No matter how comfortable the car is, it cannot compete with the Germans

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by nik_kapur

What is this insane pricing all about .. We got an accord 4 years ago for 20lakhs on road ! Now one must dish out 33lakhs for a Camry ?

Why not extend ones budget and get an Audi A6 for 44 L or better get an A4 or 3 series for the same money. No matter how comfortable the car is, it cannot compete with the Germans

Bro, 4 years ago my friend picked up an E90 320D for 24.50L OTR which was the same as the accord. Today the same is at 30L ex showroom post discounts!
Similarly the CR-V retails for as much as the x1 today.
Whats evident is that both of these segments cater to different needs and buyers.
The camry with its spacious interiors, decent dash, comfortable city ride, low maintenance, etc. is something that would appeal to those who already have a German in the garage and need something for the family as many in Mumbai do, or would be bought by those who go more with their head than heart (non enthusiasts). Also, it would have more features than the bmw 3 series or a4 as these would be base trims lacking sunroof and such.
The only area is cannot compete with the Germans is on ride and handling, and driving pleasure but even the C at 40L ex showroom is considerably more expensive. I personally would love one at home - perfect for the family - understated luxury in a way and i dont need to worry about the driver scratching it in traffic, or waiting for weeks for parts, or having electronic and sensor issues.

While i agree the car is still overpriced, at the end of the day the corolla and jetta and octavia retail at close to 25L today, and the camry is a class higher. Coupled with the lack of competition (both the superb and sonata are outdated and long in the tooth with new models already unveiled), and the Toyota premium (fortuner, innova, etc) it makes business sense for toyota to position it as such. At least they have upped the safety features which is a good move on their part!

[Turbanator]

While i agree the car is still overpriced, at the end of the day the corolla and jetta and octavia retail at close to 25L today

Most Expensive Corolla is less than 18 Lac Ex-Showroom Delhi , Camry @ 29 Lac Plus can never be success at these prices and Toyota India is perhaps looking at low double digit numbers which might even settle to single digits as in past few months after initial sales if any .

Instead they could have done some efforts in starting CKD production of LC Prado at price point of 55-60 Lac which I am pretty sure would have found many takers due to the limited options.

[Raikkonen]

Toyota is taking the Indian public out for a ride. It is beyond ridiculous that in spite of this many years presence in India, they are not able to localize a greater portion of components to be made in India.

One starts to wonder whether there is really any technology transfer from Toyota to India. Putting my Diplomacy and Trade hat on - this might even contravene International IPR regulations, notably that Toyota is just leveraging India as a low cost labour base to manufacture their products and not providing/transferring "advanced technologies" to enable a skilled manufacturing base.

There rants aside, they will stop their manufacturing Camry in Australia by 2017 (because the Govt stopped their subsidies). The price of a Camry in Australia is approx 18 Lakhs (drive away including all Govt Costs, registration etc) and Camry Hybrid is 19.5 lakhs. This results in increase in price of easily over 50% in comparison to overseas!!

Why should Indian's pay more for the same product, in spite of all the subsidies doled out by Indian Govt's to these Overseas Automotive companies.

[subbarp]

I find the following on Camry Petrol as glaring omissions. Asking for nothing big here
- day/light mirror on petrol Camry is a shocker
- No reverse fog lamp on Petrol Camry
- 16" wheel is too small for a car this size

As others have stated, my view is its overpriced by about 3-4 lakhs. The gap between top-spec Corolla on-road in Bangalore (~20) and Camry Petrol (assume this will be close to 33) is too high.

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by subbarp

I find the following on Camry Petrol as glaring omissions. Asking for nothing big here

The petrol variant misses out power tilt/ telescope adjustment for the steering column too.

With the Rs. 70,000 incentive, it seems that the Hybrid variant is the one to opt for if one is insistent on buying a Camry.

[kartavya]

It is competing with the Superb in its segment. To be honest I think Skoda is also going to launch the new Superb around about this price or maybe even 1-2 lakhs higher. With the prices of the luxury brands going up a segment (BMW, Audi, Volvo and Mercedes), Toyota and Skoda have a chance to increase the prices of their premium products as well.

[swamyzen]

I had the chance of driving the new Camry in US as I had rented it from Alamo. The car according to me looks good without the additional chrome Toyota has added for the Indian version. Here are a few pics of the US version.









As it can be seen chrome as been used a lot lesser than they use in the Indian version. The one I had rented was in the SE trim which is basically like the sports version of the car. It came with jet black interiors with red stitching and it looked really good and also felt very premium. There is soft touch materials used most of the places but the door pads felt a bit hard compared to rest of the materials. Comfort id the strongest point for the Camry. Even in my 6 feet 3 inch frame passengers behind me were comfortable. Full marks to the Camry here. The boot is huge. It could take in 3 big bags and 2 small bags. Since mine was the SE package the alloys were different from the rest and in my opinion look better than the other all available. Engine was a 2.5 litre 4 cylinder unit which gave out 178 hp at 6000 rpm. The main let down though was the 6 speed AT. It takes its own sweet time to respond and hunts for gears when you want sudden pick up. For example I am cruising at about 60 mph in 6 th gear and I need to change lanes. I would press the gas pedal and as I have seen in other automatics they respond quite fast and shift to lower gears. Not so with the Camry. It first slowly goes to 5th and then an abrupt shift to 4 th. So if you want to change lanes or overtake just use sports mode ( comes with those lovely paddle shifters). Engine in sports mode is a transformed beast. It is reasonably rev happy and will take you to the redline with ease. Engine I felt would be excellent with a MT. Handling department nothing great. Steering feels slightly vague at high speeds and feedback provided by the steering is not great. Best to be driven like a family sedan.
Fuel efficiency I got varied between 13 and 14 kmpl which is commendable ( the small eco light made me drive very sedately). Overall I like the looks, comfort. I disliked the gearbox and handling. Engine was just fine and as I said before it could perform a lot better with a MT.

Regards,
swamyzen

PS : Safety was 8 airbags, ABS, Traction control and EBD.

[stanjohn123]

The price definitely has not dithered customers from purchasing the new Camry's. I've already seen 2 of them ( Hybrid version ) on the roads here. I'm seeing a few Corolla's as well , maybe Toyota as a brand is strongly accepted by customers no matter what the pricing is.

Might I add this is the same trend even in the Middle East , where people sometimes pay more for an older Toyota even than a new one. Now that's brand power !

[Senna4Ever]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

Ok, just saw the specs. The non hybrid is now really loaded so the pricing now being closer to Hybrid makes sense. But this really kills the petrol one now. 3 lakhs more gets you the hybrid. At this price point 3L for a buyer is immaterial and he will just stretch and get the Hybrid.

Sure did kill the petrol. Hybrid variant has constituted more than 80% of Camry sales as per Senior VP, Sales and Marketing. Moreover, TKML have sold over 280 units since its launch (in approx. 50 days).

Business Standard

[Turbanator]

Hybrid variant has constituted more than 80% of Camry sales as per Senior VP, Sales and Marketing. Moreover, TKML have sold over 280 units since its launch (in approx. 50 days)

Yes and they apparently have a backlog of over 100 units but it will be interesting to see what happens after couple of months . Newer product does create some buzz and sales . I still have doubts if they will able to get consistent 3 digit numbers couple of months later .

[Viju]

Originally Posted by swamyzen

The car according to me looks good without the additional chrome Toyota has added for the Indian version.

I think Toyota just launched the JDM Camry for India since it is RHD, without making many changes in looks / features. The JDM Camry looks exactly the same as the Indian variant with all the additional chrome embellishments.

Source

[lamborghini]

Originally Posted by Turbanator

Yes and they apparently have a backlog of over 100 units but it will be interesting to see what happens after couple of months . Newer product does create some buzz and sales . I still have doubts if they will able to get consistent 3 digit numbers couple of months later .

There is sadly no competition to the Camry except for the Superb TDi - which had its moments too.
Today, anyone looking for a vehicle in that segment will either have to compromise on space (A3/CLA/A4/3 etc.), or settle for a dated design with poor reliability and service (Superb has gotten a dated, as wonderful as it might be), or pay a premium (for the Camry).

Things will get really stirred up if Honda launches a diesel CR-V, and diesel Accord, and VW comes out with the new Passat soon!

[itwasntme]

Originally Posted by lamborghini

There is sadly no competition to the Camry except for the Superb TDi - which had its moments too.
Today, anyone looking for a vehicle in that segment will either have to compromise on space (A3/CLA/A4/3 etc.), or settle for a dated design with poor reliability and service (Superb has gotten a dated, as wonderful as it might be), or pay a premium (for the Camry).

Things will get really stirred up if Honda launches a diesel CR-V, and diesel Accord, and VW comes out with the new Passat soon!

Fully agree. I will be in the market in the next 12 months for a large diesel/petrol sedan to replace my 4 year-old Cruze. After being used to the insane engine, I would like to buy the most powerful owner-oriented car I can

Potentials are the current Passat and Superb, Camry, 2016 Passat / Superb and maybe new Accord if launched here.

Like the current Superb but think its a 'chauffeur car' rather than a self-driven one. Plus parked next to a top end Octavia , it just doesn't seem to command the premium over the latter. The Octavia package is VFM compared to it.

As for VW, the current Passat is largely orphaned by them with lackadaisical sales and service support.

Still keep eyeing the few V6 Accords but believe mileage can dip to 6km/lt in BLR traffic. Hyundai's swoopy Sonata was also a potential but a very slow seller and recently discontinued too.

The incoming 2016 Superb and Passat are both stunners but might be priced at ludicrous levels.