Hybrid powertrain for America's favorite car
On an autumn day in Georgetown, Kentucky, a Toyota associate will fasten a badge that says "Hybrid" to a 2007 Camry just before the car rolls off the assembly line. The Camry will be the first hybrid-powered Toyota product made in North America. This roll-out -- or "line-off," as it's called in the car business -- will occur in late October.
Toyota has been supplying Camry sedans with optional hybrid powertrains from its plants in Japan since April of this year. Now, in response to vigorous consumer demand, the Georgetown plant will begin working on an order backlog of some 5000 Camry Hybrids, with initial production at an annual rate of 60,000 units. The hybrid version will be produced on the same lines as conventionally powered Camrys.

The Georgetown launch will be marked by a ceremony in which keys to several of the first hybrids off the line will be handed to distinguished guests. One Camry Hybrid will be driven by the Mayor of Lexington, Kentucky; another by the staff of Kentucky's Environmental Protection Administration; and soon thereafter by rangers in Yellowstone, America's first national park.

Along with the launch, a permanent environmental education center will be opened at the Georgetown plant for school groups and individual visitors.

Toyota's 2007 Camry Hybrid has been rated by the EPA at 40 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway. That compares with 24 city/33 highway for the conventionally powered Camry CE with a 4-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. Complementary gas and electric power sources in the optional Hybrid Synergy Drive® produce a combined 187 horsepower -- more than Camry's current generation V6 engine. The Camry Hybrid has a zero-to-60 time of 8.9 seconds. Like Toyota's other hybrid-powered vehicles, this is a "full hybrid," which means the system varies power between gas and electric or both, as needed.

This hybrid's 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder 2AZ-FXE Atkinson-cycle engine, generating 147 horsepower, is coupled to a continuously variable transmission. Its permanent magnet synchronous motor, which develops 199 foot-pounds of torque at 1500 rpm, produces 45 horsepower. With an ultra-small inverter, a compact 650-volt battery and a transaxle, this system delivers smooth, quiet power without obvious shifting.

The economical Camry Hybrid is just as good for the environment. It produces 80 percent less smog-forming emissions than the average midsize car sold today and, like the Toyota Prius, the Camry Hybrid is rated an Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emission Vehicle.

You may know that the 2007 Camry has been redesigned from end to end, with a new chassis, body, interior, accessories and drivetrains. The new models are more stylish, athletic and modern than their predecessors, even though they've preserved a roomy interior, comfortable ride and low noise levels.

The 2007 Camry is bigger on the inside and has a longer wheelbase and wider track, but it has the same overall length as before. Handling characteristics, turning radius, passenger comfort and rear-seat foot room have been improved by these design changes.

Camry remains America's favorite car. U.S. sales since the launch of the 2007 models have continued to lead all competitors in all car classes.