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The Toyota Camry is on top of the automotive world as this five passenger mid-size sedan has been the best selling car in America almost every year since 2000. The current Camry, however, has been bypassed by newer models -- not in sales, but in relevancy. Several models including the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima are newer, offering more content, a competitive price and better gas mileage.
Stiff Competition
With the competition learning how to take on the Toyota Camry and the runner-up Honda Accord, the Camry is at once dated and vulnerable. Though no automaker has the manufacturing capacity to beat Camry, collectively models from the Korean producers, Ford, Chevrolet and others can chip away at sales. For consumers its a win-win environment: today's midsize cars offer outstanding value and are attractive.
Although Toyota needs to update the Camry, the changes are expected to be evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. The Camry's current design is a winner, which means messing with its success could spoil its place on the market.
Hyundai & Kia
Instead, look for Toyota to tweak what it has including presenting an engine-transmission choice that approaches if not rivals the Sonata. The Hyundai Sonata and its cousin, the Kia Optima, have been gobbling up sales as the Sonata raised the bar by delivering 35 mpg highway driving. Moreover, the Sonata Hybrid is a hit, delivering 40 mpg on the highway.
Sneak peek photos of the next generation Camry confirms that the car looks similar to the current generation model, but with some notable Lexus styling cues apparent. Those cues include refined headlamps and grille, updated wheels and new side mirrors. Inside, the Camry may have more options, bringing it closer to the Avalon in appointments, a model which is the closest thing to a Lexus that Toyota sells.
New Models
Just as soon as Toyota updates the Camry, other competitors are expected to roll out new vehicles too. Beginning in January 2012, GM is expected to introduce the 2013 Chevrolet Malibu and later that year the next generation Ford Fusion will hit the market and with an optional lithium-ion battery pack hybrid model following.
Perhaps the most significant new competitor for the Toyota Camry will be the all new 2012 Volkswagen Passat, a model currently being built in Tennessee and hitting showrooms later this summer. The Passat is larger and cheaper than the outgoing model, giving VW the right model to take on all comers, including Toyota.
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