2025 Toyota Camry debuts with lone hybrid powertrain

Toyota’s top-selling Camry has come in for a redesign, one that sees it powered exclusively by a hybrid powertrain combining a 4-cylinder engine with a pair of electric motors.

The new ninth-generation Camry is due on sale next spring as a 2025 model, and pricing information will be announced closer to that date.

Its hybrid powertrain is good for 225 hp for front-wheel-drive Camrys and 232 hp for Camry’s equipped with all-wheel drive. The all-wheel-drive system is available on all grades and is formed via a third electric motor at the rear axle instead of a conventional mechanical connection.

With either drive system, Toyota said the powertrain was tuned to deliver increased performance from the electric motors at lower speeds to help reduce load on the engine while delivering acceleration and torque qualities similar to an electric vehicle.

The engineers also tuned the suspension to deliver a more agile and responsive steering feel compared to the outgoing Camry. Buyers looking for a sportier edge like a V-6 Camry or even the Camry TRD of the previous generation will go wanting, as Toyota made no mention of those options returning. It’s possible Toyota wants to reserve that performance for the bigger Crown sedan.

Toyota has dialed up the wow factor when it comes to its cars’ styling of late, but the Camry looks very much like a Camry, albeit with a dose of extra sleekness compared to its predesscor. The interior design also hasn’t changed much, with the same basic layout in the previous generation’s cabin remaining. However, a digital gauge cluster is now standard, measuring seven inches in the LE and SE grades and 12.3 inches in the XLE and XSE grades. The The XLE and XSE can also be fitted with a head-up display as an option.

For the infotainment, the standard touchscreen display measures eight inches while a 12.3-inch screen is available. Other standard features include wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, a wireless phone charger, multiple USB ports, as well as a full suite of electronic driver-assist features. Included as standard are forward collision warning with pedestrian detection and automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, active lane control, traffic sign recognition, and blind spot and rear cross traffic warnings.

Though the sedan segment isn’t as hot as it used to be, the Camry remains one of the most popular vehicles in the U.S. Last year’s sales tally came in at just over 295,000 units.