Toyota Camry Hybrid to be launched later this month

India has never been a country that has taken well to hybrids and this quite evident in the large amount of diesel powered vehicles on our roads. The last two hybrids to be launched here, the Civic hybrid and Toyota’s very Prius have achieved no major success. The former was produced in limited numbers and only sold out after Honda halved the prices. History should then beg us to ask why Toyota is launching the Camry Hybrid for the Indian market. We believe that it is more to do with its image as an environmentally friendly manufacturer and the fact that it maybe it is aiming to start the trend in India.

The India spec Camry Hybrid is likely to be same one sold in Thailand. It is powered the same 2.5-litre petrol mill but now producing 160PS and 213Nm of torque. The electric motor mated to a 245-volt battery produces another 45PS taking the total output to 205PS and 270Nm of torque. Power is transmitted to the front wheels via an E-CVT gearbox. The entire process is managed by the Japanese automaker’s Hybrid Synergy Drive System.

Visually the Toyota Camry Hybrid gets a different grille, 17-inch alloy wheels and obviously the Hybrid badges. Inside, changes include a different instrument panel, seat fabrics as well as different panels for the dashboard.

We believe that Toyota will price the Camry Hybrid at least Rs 5-6 lakh over the standard car and will aim to sell around 20 units of the car every month.