TKM relaunches Camry in India with minor cosmetic mods

The 'new' Toyota Camry has been launched in India. And it's the same as the old one. Almost
 

Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has launched the new Camry in India and, well, it’s the same as the old one! Toyota had shown the 2010-spec Camry at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) back in January this year. Among various other upgrades, the new Camry got a 169bhp, 2.5-litre VVT-i engine in place of the current model’s 2.4-litre engine, and a choice of six-speed manual and automatic transmissions rather than the older model’s five-speed units. Disappointingly enough, TKM has not brought these changes to the ‘new’ Camry launched in India.

Priced between Rs 21.26-23.43 lakh, the ‘new’ Camry introduced in India only gets bits like a chrome-plated grille, restyled front bumper, LED turn indicators, moon roof, rain-sensing wipers and 10-spoke 16-inch alloy wheels. Interiors have also been mildly refurbished, with a new instrument panel and a 6-CD changer. New colours include metallic beige and dark green.

With stiff competition from the new Honda Accord and the new Skoda Superb , it remains to be seen whether the ‘new’ Camry – which is significantly more expensive that its competition (on account of being a CBU import) – will continue to do well in India. TKM has a sales target of 500 units for the car, which it expects to achieve by the end of this year. The company also plans to launch the Fortuner SUV in India, during the last week of August this year.