The Toyota Camry is on display at the Paris motor show ahead of its planned return to the UK market in 2019.
The large saloon has not been sold in Britain for 14 years, despite being a familiar Toyota model across the globe and in the US leading the brand’s motorsport programme in NASCAR.
The current version was launched in 2017 and when it goes on UK sale it will fill a gap left by the dropping of the Avensis model, sales of which have been wound down over the past couple of years.
Prime rivals will be the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia, and the car’s builders believe the more upmarket-pitched Camry will appeal far more to particularly fleet buyers than did the Avensis.
Toyota also states that a shift away from diesel power in the large car market has made marketing the eighth-generation Camry in western Europe a viable proposition.
The brand is putting total faith in hybrid – the Camry will only be available with a petrol-electric drivetrain. Replicating the system already available with the RAV4 SUV, it combines a 2/5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for a combined output of 218hp.
Toyota quotes 0-62mph times of 8.3 seconds and a maximum speed of 112mph for the Camry. Combined cycle fuel economy and CO2 emissions are said to be 67.3mpg and 98g/km respectively for cars on 17-inch wheels.
The latest Camry uses the Toyota New Global Architecture (TNGA) platform. This also underpins several current UK cars, including the RAV4, Prius, C-HR and Auris, which itself is set to be replaced by the Corolla.
Toyota is yet to confirm any UK prices or specifications for the Camry – industry observer suggest it will cost from around £30,000.
