TOYOTA Motor Company Australia (TMCA) has revealed it’s learning the attainable introduction of a GR Sport Camry following the discharge of a sequence of model-specific GR physique and suspension parts in Japan.
Obtainable both in units or individually, the brand new ‘GR Elements’ centre at the start round beefing up the Camry’s look to make it extra menacing by means of the addition of a brand new GR-branded entrance splitter, redesigned grille garnish, extra aggressive aspect skirts, redesigned and greater lip spoiler, quad exhaust suggestions and a brand new rear diffuser.
All of those options mix to shed 28mm from the Camry’s floor clearance, making it look decrease and sportier with out really touching the springs.
The Camry’s rolling inventory will also be upgraded to GR-spec 19-inch alloys shod with Goodyear EfficientGrip Consolation rubber whereas a GR ‘efficiency damper’ – developed by Yamaha – guarantees to remove “the vibration and noise that you just really feel whereas driving” and enhance physique rigidity.
Whereas solely obtainable in Japan in the interim, a TMCA spokesperson confirmed to GoAuto that whereas there have been no present plans to deliver GR Elements to Australia, a GR Sport Camry was not one thing to be dominated out sooner or later.
“Our GR model on the whole has been rising steadily as now we have launched increasingly more automobiles and merchandise to this sub model,” they stated.
“Nonetheless at this stage now we have not obtained any sturdy suggestions from the marketplace for a GR model of Camry, though a GR Sport model is a extra doubtless proposition on this phase, however is just not one thing that now we have obtained sturdy demand for both at this cut-off date”.
The emergence of a GR Sport Camry would doubtless bode properly for TMCA within the present local weather as a result of whereas passenger automobile gross sales as an entire are falling in favour of SUVs, the remaining phase gamers are all producing warmed variations of their low-riding four-doors.
Hyundai, Mazda and Skoda all have or will very quickly have sports-minded variations of their respective Sonata (N-Line), Mazda6 (GT SP) and Very good (206 Sportline) in the marketplace, to not point out Subaru with its Levorg wagon and even the extra upmarket Kia Stinger.
With such a lot of manufacturers and fashions vying for what’s turning into an more and more area of interest market, a GR Sport Camry would in the end broaden TMCA’s mannequin attain.
Given the Camry is presently obtainable with a 224kW/362Nm 3.5-litre V6 petrol engine, native engineers wouldn’t even have to vary something underneath the bonnet to stay aggressive with the established gamers, even when the torque determine is down a bit on the force-fed four-bangers – the V6 fights again with a superior kilowatt depend.
All that will be wanted is a beauty makeover and a few chassis tweaks to up the dealing with stakes.
The model has kind right here too given it launched the C-HR GR Sport in December final yr which pinches the entrance fascia straight off the GR Yaris and comes with a sportier suspension set-up in addition to a couple of different performance-minded contact ups.
“At this stage it’s a bit too early to see what the continuing proportion of gross sales is more likely to be,” the spokesperson stated regarding the C-HR GR Sport.
“Within the first two months GR Sport variants have been roughly 5.0 per cent of gross sales and we anticipate this to develop with time.”
With a mid-life-cycle replace for the Camry as a result of arrive in Australia in the midst of the yr, solely time will inform if TMCA genuinely plans to hitch the defiant performance-minded sedan market.
