Like other legacy carmakers, Toyota has had to adapt to the ever-changing Chinese car market, and this is most evident in the latest Camry. The updated D-segment sedan, launched ahead of tomorrow’s Chengdu Motor Show, looks practically unchanged from the current model, but its interior has been completely redesigned to suit modern customers’ tastes.
As you can see, the car, made by GAC in Guangzhou, is identical from the outside – the regular LE still gets the body-colour honeycomb grille that is unique to China, while the SE and XSE has more aggressive bumpers and a locally-fitted bodykit.
But the interior has gone through a rethink, and Camry is now much more comparable to the its latest domestic rivals. The Chinese model has always had a different dashboard architecture compared to the rest of the world, but the swooping asymmetric design and capacitive touch air-con controls have been entirely dispensed in favour of a sleeker, straighter, more minimalist aesthetic.
The new tech has had much to do with it. Out goes the 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen, in favour of a massive 15.6-inch panel. This not only has a very Chinese car interface but also incorporates the air-con controls and an agentic AI-assisted voice control. The instrument display has been made slightly smaller at 8.8 inches, but you do now get an optional augmented reality head-up display to compensate.
Elsewhere, the six-way power-adjustable front seats now feature heating, ventilation and ten-point massaging functions, and even the rear seats are heated and cooled; they can also be reclined electrically up to eight degrees. Available trinkets such as 64-colour ambient lighting, a crystal gearknob, an increased use of soft-touch leather trim and a panoramic glass roof with a faux suede headlining help lift the cabin’s atmosphere.
Other technologies include a digital key function, a 50-watt Qi wireless charger, an air fragrancing system, a digital rear-view mirror and a 14-speaker JBL sound system. Toyota has also adopted Xiaomi’s accessory interfaces, allowing items such as a rear tablet to be fitted.
Beyond that, however, not much has actually changed. You still get a 173 PS/206 Nm 2.0 litre M20C-FKS VVT-iE direct-injected, naturally-aspirated four-cylinder engine mated to a Direct-Shift CVT, as well as 197 PS 2.0 litre M20F-FXS and 230 PS 2.5 litre A25D-FXS hybrids. Toyota claims fuel efficiency as high as 23.8 km per litre.
The company has also seen fit not to include the highly-autonomous city and highway driving functions that are almost de rigueur in China, maintaining the Toyota Safety Sense 3.0 suite of driver assists. This essentially means you get the usual Level 2 semi-autonomous driving features, with only the addition of autonomous lane changes being notable.
One benefit of changing literally nothing apart from the interior is that the Camry is relatively cheap, starting from only 171,800 yuan (RM103,200). Even the flagship 2.5 litre hybrid model with all the bells and whistles costs just 259,800 yuan (RM155,900), which is a far cry from what it costs over here.
