Toyota's new Camry Hybrid
|
|
|
The new Toyota Hybrid Camry is priced from $36,990*
and the Hybrid Camry Luxury is priced from $39,990*
NOTE: * excludes dealer delivery fees
and the various statutory charges
|
|
|
Home >
News >
Toyota
28th February, 2010
Toyota's Hybrid Camry, has been launched on the local
market.
Australia's first locally built hybrid car, Toyota Hybrid Camry is poised to slash fuel bills and
reduce environmental impact compared with other similar-sized family cars including Toyota's own
products.
The secret behind its seamless power and exceptional fuel economy is the hybrid technology, Toyota's
Hybrid Synergy Drive.
Using just 6.0 litres of regular unleaded petrol to travel 100 km*, Hybrid Camry is almost 32 per
cent more frugal than the automatic petrol Camry - which was already one of the most fuel-efficient
Australian-built cars.
For someone travelling 20,000km a year in a Hybrid Camry, the savings on fuel alone will be 560
litres or $14 a week based on a pump price of $1.30 a litre. The savings rise to more than $16 a week
if fuel was costing $1.50 a litre.
Tailpipe CO2 emissions will be reduced by almost 1.3 tonnes a year.
The savings will be even greater for the significant number of buyers expected to downsize from a
large locally produced six-cylinder cars such as Commodore, Falcon and Aurion.
Toyota Hybrid Camry has carbon-dioxide emissions of just 142 grammes/km * - similar to that of a
1.3 litre compact car with around half the power.
Maximum power output from the combined 2.4 litre petrol engine and 105 kW electric motor is 140 kW
- almost 20 per cent better than a petrol-only Camry.
Other technology advancements for Hybrid Camry have significantly improved the car's ride and
handling with local tuning of the suspension and steering.
Toyota Australia's senior executive director David Buttner said the substantial savings for the
environment and the hip pockets of Australian motorists would multiply over the years.
"Hybrid Camry makes a compelling case for itself as an alternative to conventionally powered
family sedans," Mr Buttner said.
"Consumers will get all the performance, space and comfort of a top-rated family sedan. At the
same time they will get fuel economy that trumps that of petrol-powered light and compact cars. It
rates among the best diesels in its class for fuel economy, yet produces substantially less
greenhouse gases and other harmful substances. We expect Hybrid Camry will achieve the maximum
five-star rating on the Federal Government's Green Vehicle Guide compared with just 3.5 stars for
the best of the mid-size or large diesels. Hybrid Camry is the future of Australian motoring. It
brings hybrid technology to mainstream car buyers," Mr Buttner said.
"It will attract a significant number of people moving from a large six cylinder car because
they regard size and performance as important. Hybrid Camry provides a lot of automotive virtue,
especially with prices under $40,000." **
"Our people have worked incredibly hard to bring this car to market just 20 months after the
project was announced in Japan by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd," he said.
"This incredibly quick turn-around is possible because Toyota Australia is an integrated,
self-sufficient company with capabilities in all areas from design and engineering through to
manufacture and sales."
Cumulative global hybrid sales now exceed 2.2 million vehicles including 1.6 million Prius and
more than 175,000 Hybrid Camry.
NOTES:
* Fuel consumption and emissions will vary depending on driving conditions/style,
vehicle condition and options/accessories. Standard for fuel consumption data: ADR 81/02 combined
cycle.
** Manufacturer's list prices do not include the various statutory charges or other on-road
costs (such as dealer delivery fees).
HYBRID CAMRY: 7,000 KM A YEAR FOR "FREE"
A Toyota Hybrid Camry owner will get the equivalent of a year's free mileage every three years
because of the car's high fuel efficiency.
Toyota Australia's senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner said the saving
is based on a comparison with the 3.0-litre V6 version of Australia's best-selling car.
Mr Buttner said the Hybrid Camry uses just six litres of fuel to travel 100 km* compared with
9.3 litres for the most efficient version of the rival car^.
"Driving 20,000km in a year, a Hybrid Camry owner will get the last 7,000 km mileage for free
compared with someone driving the same distance in that version of Australia's best-selling car,"
Mr Buttner said.
"That will take you from one side of our continent to the other and all the way back again. That
means, after just three years, the Hybrid Camry owner will accumulate more than 21,000 km driving for
free. That's the equivalent of a year's free mileage - and you get that benefit every three years."
Mr Buttner said the saving on fuel was more than $15 a week, with carbon-dioxide emissions cut by
one-and-a-half tonnes a year. "So, compared with Australia's best-selling car, the more you drive,
the more you save and the lower the environmental impact," Mr Buttner said.
"For a sales rep travelling 50,000 km a year, the savings add up to $38 a week on fuel alone
and almost 3.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide. Put another way, a Hybrid Camry driver can travel almost 300
km further on a tank of fuel - even though the other car's petrol tank is eight litres bigger. Over a
year, a Hybrid Camry owner driving 20,000 km a year will need to make seven fewer visits to a petrol
station - saving time and money. On the city cycle, the most efficient version of the rival car uses
84 per cent more fuel - and even on the highway cycle it uses 35 per cent more. These are significant
benefits for Hybrid Camry - and they show clearly why hybrid technology is a key part of our motoring
future."
Toyota expected Hybrid Camry to achieve the maximum five-star rating on the Federal Government's
Green Vehicle Guide compared with just 3.5 stars for the least polluting diesels in its class.
"While diesel cars can achieve similar fuel economy, they produce substantially more greenhouse
gases and other harmful substances - especially NOx and particulates," Mr Buttner said without
mentioning that Toyota sell diesels too!
NOTES:
* Fuel consumption and emissions data based on ADR 81/02 combined cycle. Fuel consumption and
emissions will vary depending on driving conditions/style, vehicle conditions and options/accessories.
^ Source of competitor's fuel economy and emissions data: greenvehicleguide 8th February, 2010.
HYBRID CAMRY OFFERED IN TWO MODEL GRADES
Toyota's new hybrid family car is offered in two model grades - Hybrid Camry and Hybrid Camry Luxury.
The new Hybrid Camry Luxury becomes the flagship of Camry's range.
Both model grades have the key mechanical features of a 140 kW hybrid powerplant, Electric Power-assisted
Steering (EPS), unique suspension calibration, 16 inch alloy wheels (including full-sized spare wheel) and
Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management (VDIM).
Standard safety equipment in Hybrid Camry includes rear-view camera, rear sonar parking sensors and six
SRS airbags.
Hybrid Camry has numerous unique features in the built-in-Australia Camry range, including EPS, VDIM and
brake-by wire (ECB).
In addition, it has a unique front mask (headlamps, radiator grille, front bumper and fog lamps), rear
combination lamps, noise-reduction windscreen, satin chrome rear garnish with camera, Optitron instruments,
push-button heating and cooling, dual-zone automatic air-conditioning with LCD climate-control panel and ECO
mode, and Hybrid front-door scuff plates.
Hybrid Camry is priced from $36,990*.
It is also offered with an option pack, consisting of premium audio with eight speakers, satellite
navigation and premium three-spoke steering wheel with Bluetooth™ controls. The option pack is priced at
$3,000*.
Hybrid Camry Luxury, the new Camry flagship model, has the additional features of leather-accented seat
and door trim, four driver and front-passenger's seat power adjustments (slide, recline, vertical adjust
and lumbar support), electro-chromatic interior rear-view mirror, rain-sensing wipers and rear lip spoiler.
Hybrid Camry Luxury is priced from $39,990*.
It is also offered with an option pack consisting of: electric tilt-and-slide moonroof, premium audio with
eight speakers, satellite navigation and premium three-spoke steering wheel with Bluetooth™ controls and rear
personal lamps. The option pack is priced at $4,500*.
Standard models also have USB audio input, and share an AUX input with Option Pack variants.
Nine exterior colours are offered including the unique-to-hybrid Crystal Pearl Mica on the Luxury model
and Diamond White on the standard Hybrid Camry.
There are two interior colour combinations - high-contrast European black-on-sandstone or the more sporty
black-on-black.
Metallic paint is $400 extra.*
NOTES:
* All prices are manufacturer's list prices only and therfore do not include the usual statutory charges or
other on-road costs (such as dealer delivery fees).
HYBRID CAMRY OFFERS HIGHER SPECIFICATION
Hybrid Camry makes a compelling value-for-money case as an alternative to conventional petrol and diesel
family sedans, according to Toyota Australia's senior executive director sales and marketing David Buttner.
Mr Buttner said the two new models have high equipment levels including features unique to the Camry range
such as electric power steering, electronic brake control and the safety of Vehicle Dynamic Integrated
Management.
"Hybrid Camry provides consumers with all the functionality and performance of a top-rated family sedan,"
Mr Buttner said, "It builds on the virtues of the petrol Camry - rock-solid dependability, exceptional comfort
and low long-term cost of ownership - with fuel economy that trumps that of petrol-powered light and compact
cars."
Hybrid Camry at $36,990* has significantly higher specification compared with petrol Camry Altise at $29,990*
and Camry Ateva at $32,490*.
Compared with Altise, it gains:
· 23 kW more power (an increase of 19.6 per cent)
· More torque
· Superior fuel economy (consuming 31.8 per cent less)
· Vehicle Dynamic Integrated Management
· Reversing camera
· Rear parking sensors
· Electronically controlled brakes
· 16-inch alloy wheels including full-sized alloy spare wheel
· Unique styling including front mask and rear combination lamps
· Front fog lamps
· Noise-reduction windscreen
· Exhaust diffuser
· Chrome door handles
· Smart Entry and Smart Start
· Dual-zone electric air-conditioning with ECO mode
· Optitron instruments
· Economy meter
· Trip computer
· Premium steering wheel with audio and multi-information display controls
· Premium gear shift lever, handbrake lever and shift knob
· Rear-seat armrest with two cup holders
· Moquette fabric seat trim
· Two front cup holders with lids
· Six-CD display audio with six speakers
· Bluetooth™ connectivity
· 3.5mm auxiliary audio input
· USB/iPod® auxiliary audio input.
Hybrid Camry has specification advantages over Ateva in addition to the performance, economy and safety
advantages mentioned above. They include:
· Unique styling including front mask and rear combination lamps
· Noise-reduction windscreen
· Chrome exhaust diffuser
· Chrome door handles
· Smart Entry and Smart Start
· Optitron instruments
· Electric operation for the air-conditioning with ECO mode
· Economy meter
· Front-door scuff plates
· Manual driver and front-passenger seat adjustment.
Hybrid Camry Luxury, the new Camry flagship model, has these additional features (over Hybrid Camry)
for an additional amount of $3,000*:
· Leather-accented seat and door trim
· Four-way power adjustment for the driver and front-passenger seats
· Auto-dimming (electrochromatic) interior rear-view mirror
· Rain-sensing wipers
· Rear lip spoiler.
* All prices are manufacturer's list prices only and do not include statutory charges or other on-road
costs.
TOYOTA COMMITTED TO HYBRID SYNERGY DRIVE
Toyota Motor Corporation's global aim is to be the world's leading car maker in the use of electric
energy, according to a senior TMC executive.
Executive Vice President Yukitoshi Funo, speaking during a recent visit to Australia, said Toyota had
vast experience in electric use.
He said this included Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive system, which enables vehicles to operate in
electric-only mode - without using the petrol engine.
Toyota's hybrid technology, which manages both the engine and electric motor at the highest level of
efficiency, was also applicable to other eco-car technologies.
These included the plug-in hybrid vehicle, the battery-only electric vehicle, and the fuel-cell hybrid
vehicle.
"That's why we position the hybrid technology as our core technology. In this way, our aim is to
become Number One in electric-use technology," Mr Funo said.
Toyota was striving to achieve sustainable mobility.
"We are keenly aware that without focussing on energy issues and global warming, there can be no
future for automobiles."
"In that regard, we view electricity, hydrogen, and some forms of bio-energy as leading potential
alternative energies, and in the foreseeable future, there will be a coexistence of these energy
sources."
"Among them, electricity is most promising because it is renewable when derived from wind, tidal,
hydro-electric or solar power."
Mr Funo said the introduction of hybrid technology into the Australian car industry was a practical
example of how Toyota could revitalise itself around the world.
"The Hybrid Camry will satisfy the expectations of Australian consumers for local production of
environmentally friendly vehicles, and drive innovation within every part of Toyota's business,"
he said.
Toyota's global goal is to sell at least one million hybrids a year as soon as possible after 2010.
Hybrid sales in 2009 totalled 530,000.
The company also plans to offer a hybrid version of every model in its range during the 2020s.
Other Hybrid Camry production plants
Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc., United States
Toyota Motor Thailand Co., Ltd.
Tsutsumi plant, Japan
Toyota's cumulative hybrid sales
VEHICLE TOTAL
Prius 1,571,065
Hybrid Camry 174,407
Lexus RX 450h 157,695
Kluger/Highlander 109,502
GS 450h 20,131
LS 600h, LS 600hL 17,903
HS 250h 11,430
Others* 135,826
TOTAL 2,197,959
Source: TMC, November 2009
* Others: Harrier HV, Crown, Estima, Alphard, Coaster, Quick Delivery, Dyna/Toyoace
CAMRY THROUGH THE AGES
Toyota's Hybrid Camry continues the Camry tradition of leading the locally-manufactured field in many
technology breakthroughs.
The first built-in-Australia Camry, the SV20 model launched in 1987, provided a raft of firsts.
1987 Camry's firsts for a built-in-Australia vehicle included:
* Twin Cam Multi-valve engine with scissors-gear drive between camshafts to permit a fuel-efficient narrow valve angle;
* electronic fuel injection.
The fully imported 1988 SV21 Camry 2.5-litre V6 model was Australia's first volume-selling Quad Cam V6.
The 5S-FE 2.2 litre engine - first offered when wide-body Camry was launched in 1993 - was the first Camry engine with
balance shafts.
Camry gained all-alloy engines across the range in 2002, with local production of the new-generation 2.4 litre 2AZ
engine.
Wide-body Camry was the first Japanese lineage vehicle in Australia to break the 1,700 mm-width barrier (a barrier
imposed by Japanese domestic vehicle tax scales). Wide-body Camry had an overall width of 1,760 mm.
Camry pioneered one-piece body sides - thanks to laser welding in 1997 - and, from 2002, adopted one-piece body side
pressings.
The 2006 Camry was the first Camry with a five-speed intelligent automatic transmission that included up-hill/down-hill
shift control. It was also the first Camry to break the 0.30Cd aerodynamic drag barrier at 0.28, and the first with
psychoacoustic audio technology to give the concert-sound sensation of the music source being in front of the vehicle's
occupants.
Camry Grande was the first Camry with Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and Traction Control (TRC) as standard equipment
- features since adopted across the range.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Camry: From the Japanese Kan-Muri, meaning "crown".
WHERE IS IT BUILT?
Camry and its 2.4 litre four-cylinder engine are built at Toyota's Altona manufacturing plant in Melbourne, Victoria.
Toyota directly employs 3,200 people in Victoria and 4,498 nationally.
HOW MANY?
In 2008, almost 115,000 four-cylinder Camry sedans were produced at Altona. Most were exported, mainly to the Middle
East. Camry has been produced in Australia since 1987 with total volume expected to reach 1.5 million in the first
quarter of 2010.
HOW SUCCESSFUL?
Camry is now in its 16th year as Australia's best-selling mid-size car. It is also Australia's biggest automotive
export earner, being shipped to more than 20 countries.
CAMRY - A GLOBAL SUCCESS STORY
Toyota Camry is one of the world's most successful cars with cumulative global sales having topped 12 million.
Since the Camry sedan's launch in Japan in 1980, the vehicle has established itself as a global model.
Toyota Australia's manufacturing plant at Altona in Melbourne is one of eight plants in the world to build Camry.
The others are in Japan, the United States, Thailand, Taiwan, Vietnam, China and Russia.
Camry sales in Australia have exceeded 735,000 since the first car was imported in 1983.
In 1987, Australia became the first country outside Japan to build the Camry, followed by the Kentucky plant in the
United States.
Four-cylinder Camry assumed leadership of the medium car segment in Australia in 1994 and has not relinquished it.
Exports from Australia began in 1983. Cars are now shipped to more than 20 countries, principally in the Middle East.
Toyota Australia set an export record for the local industry in 2008 with shipments of more than 100,000 vehicles, of
which 92,000 were Camry.
The current car is the sixth-generation Camry. Its appeal was boosted in 2009 by upgrades that further improved its
fuel-efficiency, styling, features and value.
Hybrid Camry was launched in the United States and Japan in 2006 and in Thailand in 2009.
Total sales of the petrol-electric hybrid model exceed 175,000.
CAMRY HISTORY
1980 - Introduced in Japan.
1983 - Introduced in Australia.
1987 - Australia becomes first country outside Japan to manufacture Camry.
1988 - First year of US-built Camry.
1988 - Camry also produced as Holden Apollo in model-sharing programme.
1992 - Third generation introduced in Japan.
1993 - Wide-body Camry launched locally by Prime Minister Paul Keating.
1993 - Exports from Australia to Thailand begin.
1994 - Camry becomes Australia's top-selling medium car.
1995 - First Camry rolls off the line at new Altona plant.
1996 - First Camry shipment to the Middle East.
1997 - Fourth generation introduced.
1997 - Camry becomes best-selling car in America for the first time.
2002 - Fifth generation Camry introduced.
2005 - One-millionth Australian-made Camry built in Melbourne.
2006 - Sixth generation Camry introduced.
2006 - Camry named "Car of the Year" by Motor Trend magazine (US).
2006 - Hybrid Camry introduced in United States and Japan.
2008 - Record Camry production in Australia of 114,714 cars.
2008 - Record Camry exports from Australia of 92,391 cars.
2009 - Hybrid Camry production begins in Australia.
2009 - Cumulative Camry sales in Australia exceed 735,000.
2010 - Hybrid Camry launched in Australia.
TOYOTA INVESTS IN HYBRID TECHNOLOGY
Toyota Australia has made significant investments to bring hybrid technology to the local market, according
to the company's president and chief executive officer Max Yasuda.
Mr Yasuda said the company had introduced new high-tech equipment into many production processes to raise
quality even higher, increase productivity and improve logistics.
"Several areas throughout the Altona manufacturing facility are completely new or have been totally
reconfigured to accommodate hybrid production," he said.
"We have re-engineered many of our manufacturing processes to improve ergonomics, specifically for the
installation of hybrid components. Another key part of our investment in Hybrid Camry is the training of our
people to ensure we deeply understand the specific techniques involved in manufacturing a hybrid vehicle."
Toyota Australia had sent engineers and team leaders to Toyota plants in Japan, Thailand and the United States.
Local engineers had extensively reviewed sample cars from Japan and the United States.
"This is fundamental to our goal of building-in quality and devising the most efficient production method,"
Mr Yasuda said.
"Our local Technical Centre has been involved in the engineering and design aspects of this vehicle. The 3,200
people at Altona are already responsible for the best-quality locally built cars - and now they have added Hybrid
Camry to their list of capabilities. Toyota is fortunate to have people of the highest calibre - a skilled, flexible
and passionate workforce. We have also received great support from our suppliers, who understand what it takes to
remain at the cutting edge of this business. We expect their involvement in Toyota's hybrid technology to grow over
time."
Toyota plans to produce at least 10,000 Hybrid Camry sedans per year for the domestic market and 300 per year for
export to New Zealand.
HOW IT WORKS
Hybrid Camry uses a combination of a petrol engine and an electric motor to deliver a maximum 140 kW of power -
making it the most powerful Camry sold in Australia today.
The driveline consists of a 2.4 litre petrol engine, two sets of planetary gears and two electric
motors/generators, with a counter gear to drive the differential.
The petrol engine is based on the petrol VVT-i-equipped Camry engine, but with the Atkinson operating cycle to
optimise fuel economy.
The first electric motor/generator acts primarily as a generator to convert excess petrol-engine power into
electricity which is stored in the hybrid battery. It also acts as a starter motor for the petrol engine.
The second motor acts primarily as an electric drive motor, but it also acts as a generator during regenerative
braking.
The regenerative braking system slows the car by using the electric drive motor as a generator.
It converts kinetic energy from the vehicle's motion into reusable electricity, which is then stored in the HV
battery.
The planetary gear set consists of two sets of planetary gears, with a "compound gear" that links the ring gears
of the two planetary gear sets.
There is also a counter-drive gear that acts as a reduction gear to the differential (to multiply torque and
drive the front wheels).
The first planetary gear set acts as a power-split device, dividing petrol engine power between the generator
and the counter gear.
The second planetary gear set is a reduction gear (with a 2.47:1 reduction ratio) for the 105 kW electric drive
motor.
Adopting the reduction gear set allowed Hybrid Camry's designers to use a more efficient and compact electric
motor while optimising torque and acceleration.
The compound planetary gear also acts as an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (E-CVT)
that seamlessly changes the transmission ratio for enhanced performance, drivability and fuel economy.
The Hybrid Synergy Drive system creates the CVT effect by controlling the generator's revolutions - thereby
dispensing with the need for a conventional transmission.
The use of planetary gears provides a significant saving in weight and space under the bonnet compared with
either a traditional automatic transmission or a belt-and-pulley-type CVT.
It also means there is no slippage as would occur in a torque converter - another fuel-saving feature.
Regenerative braking also significantly improves the fuel economy and emissions of a hybrid vehicle.
HYBRID HAS RANGE OF OPERATING SCENARIOS
Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive gives Hybrid Camry the ability to mix and match the power from its petrol engine
and electric drive motor - for better performance and efficiency.
Power from the two sources is finely controlled to maximise efficiency and comfort and delivered seamlessly
through an electronic continuously variable transmission (E-CVT).
In Hybrid Camry, the electric drive motor alone is used for gentle take-off and reversing, and assisting the
petrol engine when accelerating and hill-climbing.
|
|
|
Self-Catering Holiday
Accommodation in
Denmark, WA
..... more
|
|
|
In normal cruising, both the engine and the electric motor drive the wheels; with surplus engine petrol power
routed to the generator (MG1) to recharge the battery.
Under hard acceleration, the battery supplies additional energy to the electric motor while the engine and
motor provide smooth acceleration response.
When the driver brakes, the motor recovers the kinetic energy that is normally lost as heat, converts it into
electricity and stores it in the HV battery - a feature known as regenerative braking.
The petrol engine typically switches off when the car is stationary or coasting, to save fuel and reduce
exhaust emissions (provided the engine and HV battery have reached operating temperature.)
Hybrid Camry requires no special training to drive. Its computer-controlled constantly variable transmission
allows the car to operate in a similar way to an automatic - but with no perceptible gear ratio changes.
The only difference is that Hybrid Camry has a "B" position on the gear-shift gate that works just like
selecting a lower gear on a conventional automatic transmission.
HYBRID CAMRY USES ATKINSON CYCLE PETROL ENGINE
Hybrid Camry's 2.4-litre petrol engine uses the "high-expansion" Atkinson Cycle process for increased efficiency.
The Atkinson Cycle 2AZ-FXE engine was purpose-developed for Hybrid Camry.
The Atkinson Cycle process has a higher expansion ratio than a conventional Otto Cycle engine, offering improved fuel
economy.
It makes full use of combustion energy by effectively making the expansion stroke longer than the compression
stroke.
It therefore harnesses more of the energy into torque on the crankshaft, which would otherwise be lost out of the
exhaust/cylinder walls in an Otto Cycle engine.
Toyota has combined the Atkinson Cycle with direct ignition, twin-camshafts, a multi-valve cylinder head and Variable
Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i), all of which improve efficiency.
High-Expansion Ratio:
In a conventional (Otto Cycle) engine, the compression stroke volume and expansion stroke volume are practically
identical, and the compression ratio and expansion ratio are identical.
Any attempt to increase the expansion ratio results in an increase in compression ratio and greater likelihood of
engine-damaging knock, also known as "pre-ignition" or "detonation".
The Atkinson Cycle process in the 2AZ-FXE engine solves this dilemma by delaying the closing of the intake valves.
The intake valves remain open for the initial stage of the compression stroke (when the piston is ascending), delaying
the start of compression and pumping some fuel-air mix into the intake manifold, which reduces the effective compression
ratio. The 2AZ-FXE has a relatively high mechanical compression ratio of 12.5:1, but the effective ratio is slightly
lower.
The small portion of the intake air-fuel mix that has been drawn into the cylinder during the intake phase is returned
to the intake manifold.
This slight amount of back-flow into the intake manifold produces a benefit in partial load conditions: it allows for
an increase in throttle valve opening, reducing intake manifold vacuum and reducing intake pumping losses.
| 
