Well, it’s very much a case of can’t ignore any more, and making no bones about it at that – a report says that Toyota’s new seventh-gen Camry definitely has the Hyundai Sonata very much in its sights as the Japanese carmaker aims to get back on top in the US.
The Camry has been the top-selling passenger vehicle in the US for nine years, with annual sales in the market poised at the 300,000- to 400,000-unit mark over the past decade, a figure good enough to account for around 20% of Toyota’s sales there.
Of course, being the king means only one thing – there’s always going to be a slew of contenders looking to topple you. Among them has been the Sonata, which has emerged as a strong contender over the past year or so, aided by a weak Korean won. Close, but still no cigar.
The March 11 earthquake that hit Japan also hit the Camry, changing the run of play. While in 2009, the Sonata sold just one-third as many units as the Camry did, in May this year it managed to finally outsell the Camry, which suffered supply shortages as a result of the disaster.
Slated to enter the market in October, the new Camry is anticipated to bring the title back to Toyota. Still, the company isn’t hiding the fact that it has responded to the Sonata’s challenge very seriously, the Nikkei report adds.
Toyota’s engineers went over the Sonata with a fine-toothed comb, with one stating that the Hyundai’s “interior offers an outstanding touch of luxury for its price.” Sources within the company added that just before the decision was made to begin production of the new Camry, requests came about for design changes, with the Sonata very much in mind.
The Japanese automaker also had its American engineers evaluate the new North American-based model from the prototype stage. And Toyota president Akio Toyoda even went so far as to test-drive the new Camry again and again. “We’re rolling this out with 100% confidence,” he was quoted as saying. Well, looks like they worked very hard to be absolutely sure about that.
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somehow based on this 2 pics of this new camry and sonata, i feel camry exterior is better but sometimes eyes can lie
on contrary, i think sonata score better then the old same dull camry, but reliable glory camry always prevail.
Forget about both crabs!1 is good looking but bad performance,another 1 performance is still ok but very ugly!rather than save another 150k to buy a Audi A4,BMW 3,Mer c class or Passat CC!
Looks like they are trying to copy the Sonata. It is loooking better than the old model. At least it doesnt look like something from the 90s anymore.
hate to say this but…toyota must be losing it – the hyundai looks better
yeah go chase the Korean…you will still get the damn uncles as customers!
9 years best seller in its class? no wonder americans were trying all out to kill toyota.
remember the accelerator-stuck scandal?
camry must be really good. or americans are just plain boring ppl.
Ya, GM will always be protected by the US Govt, but that recall fiasco that saw GM escaped without a slap in the hand as opposed to Toyota and Honda speaks volume on this case.
Only the hardcore T fanatics will stick to the new Camry. Still no direct injection engine and a very disastrous design. Only saving grace is the new 6-speed auto.
Same case with the new Civic…old drivetrain in a newish body. What is with the top Japanese carmakers these days?
i am glad u ask
the answer would probably be subaru or mazda
do not ignore the m6
because thats probably the best looking car in such class, if we are to consider only the beauty factor
subaru on the other hand, despite the lack of opportunity here, gives us the legacy. with the plan afoot subaru coming here then i guess it just a matter of time before the koreans are to be return into its place
more m6 on the road these days. sick of the 2 boring jap model. these models are always out of the editors’ preference during a head on fight. m6 will still beat them.
Shape wise…. The Sonata is better…. Reliability wise… Camry is better…. You choose..
Really? o.O
Somehow I see that the new Camry looks better than the Sonata. Plain and simple yet gets the job done. The Sonata is trying too hard to look different. From the picture, it does look a bit like a whale.
agreed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!hehe..
sadly, despite all the efforts, the new camry is still a dissapointment (lookwise, technical wise cannot judge yet)…
well this may sounds like a joke to many….but i wish and pray. someday the same would happen to Proton ….I wish I would be very much alive the day Proton become a threat to other manufacturer globally. Difficult goal but nothing is impossible. :)
with the protection scheme, it is very hard. Only competition and competition alone to make a company to become better and greater, company under protection scheme, will only fall apart sooner or later.
Same thing goes to human and other living beings. Don’t believe me, try race a tiger by feeding it everyday without letting it to go out and hunt and then let it goes out to the wood after a while and see if the tiger can still survive.
It becomes a thundercat that will only scratch/gigit its rakyat but as timid as a mouse when facing the whole world.
Looks like nobody can rectify Proton’s weakness because of the big boss.
Dream on until the cow come home……….
The only changes to 1996 Perdana is to copy Alfa front grill! Already 15 year old (not included the age of Mits Eterna (1993) at the time of rebadge).
Global car lifecycle like T, H, VW, Beemer, Merc, Ford, GM, etc is normally 5 to 7 year only. But our Jaguh kampong shitty car for most of the models can sell for more than 10 years, some more 20++ good years.
Ha, ha, ……. VW beetle Mexico also sold for more than 20++ years!!!!!!!
Only mat jenin mimpi siang hari retard mind will wish and pray for shitty vendors and cronies to produce “white blood princess”.
betul2….bro…ade awek x?
not in our life time…
Looks like I can smell the 8th-gen Honda Civic inside this new Camry… :D
Anyhoy, the new Hyundai Sonata’s looks it so so beautiful that it can even tapau Japanese cars so easily, something that I haven’t even thought about before.
park this new camry beside the sonata ….the camry is definitely lower class. it doesn’t even look as elegant and luxurious as the sonata inside out. the sonata looks much more expensive while having a lower price tag than the camry. maybe only the camry’s rims looks better.
totally no match at all!!!
couldn’t agree more… many of us are not able to comprehend what a well design car would be.. They bend towards ‘loyalty’..in chinese that is called ‘??‘?
it has never got anything to do with loyalty
the fact that matters is toyota cars have nothing to worry the people and they have been doing so with camry for the past 29 years. they delivered the service for the past nearly 3 decades with minimum incovenience. that what swing it for toyota. people who uphold ‘value’ rather than ‘cost’ wont be betting against toyota.
on the other hand, the korean brands in automotive industries had very bad reputation and it just these few years they came up with something worth to mention about.
these are facts. they are available at all reading materials. go and look for them and swallow them first. then only we can measure how toyota vs any of the koreans
ps- i am not selling any toyota. neither i use any toyota product. but those are facts that for the past nearly 3 decades camry has continually produce the goods.
You are only looking local which is a market that tends to be very shielded and backward in its trend…e.g.only recently was lexus introduced while it was making a hit all over the world including singapore ..
are you sure sonata outclass the camry on luxury ?
try to click into the gallery of camry and see the dashboard of camry…
camry have leather warp the entire upper dashboard…
you couldn’t find that in an E class nor a new bmw 5 series but camry have it !
sonata still have alot to catch up in term of technical thing… try to drive both for a week long and you will notice there are big apart from each other
sorry .. dual cvvt on sonata .. single vvti on camry …..
Panoramic sunroof on sonata … regular sunroof on camry ..
Toyota has the tech .. but they just don’t put it in..
Current Camry looks way better than this rubbish design.
YES!
Agreed, at least the current one looks like a LEXUS sibling.
Yes. Older one looks more macho. The new one looks like Accord cl7 slim slim one with less fat.
Anyway, I feel that the headlamp design can be seen on many cars.. hm..
agreed…looks more like extended altis…..
Whatever said and done, Hyundai Sonata sales are making an impact. Everybody can talk positive thing about sonata but dont dare to buy one when have the money.
Malaysian are conservative lot!
why can’t i see Jolo commenting for these new Camry entries?
hiks :P
Not to forget the super T blind supporter, Mask Ryder.
I am sorry to ask this, are you the one using KLVIPER nickname on one of the famous moneymaking forum? “Hiks” that sounds familiar to me :D lolol
definitely not me
i use “hiks” just to ease any arising tense…
hiks =P
Perhaps their best designers have been too busy in it’s Lexus division and neglected Toyota altogether, or probably radiation have deformed some of them lol
sonata more better in term of exterior look…
the front grill too simple but can be “enhanced” easily when facelifting…
like altis la…
Totally agree. Looks like a bigger brother of the Altis. Dun see much Altis on the road…. bad news for the big bro when got better cars like the Sonata, M6 etc around. Toyota is going downhill…….
i don’t see any resembalnce at all…
So poor Malaysians, NOBODY cares about us, I mean the UMW/Toyota.
The new Camry MALAYSIA will still have the dinosuar 4-speed auto with old engine(2.0G/E) and TWO airbags only (2.0 and 2.4).
Please buy more Camrys, rakan-rakan. Please continue to give your faith and loyalty to Toyotas.
previous gen is called = CAMRY
latest 7th gen is called = CamLI
the 8th gen become = ChungLi
I must say that this design looks as if Toyota has lost its animal spirit, maybe due to the massive recall set back. But lets wait to see the real thing, it can be very different from the picture.
korean r well know for their plastic surgery….look like they did a good job in automotive sector too ……. but underneath…. no comment
You better go try out all the doors closing machenism; feel the solidity of the center console, dashboard; luxurious of the overall feel. And then you go see Camry and Accord, you will find piece of crap in it.
did you know that the camry is a lagend? its the top selling over the decade….whos Sonata?
i pun setuju…tapi sonata cantek laa….
tapi i msh suka jenama toyota
knpa toyota sudah berubah :(
If legend means now not good liao lo.. wakakaka
toyota used to be crap and they got better
hyundai used to be crap and they got better
it looks like toyota is going backwards
Nokia used to be a legend and market leader..
If not keep improving to maintain old customer / attract new consumer, giant also can collapse..
The New Kid in town .. just like iphone was when it was first launched and people thought Nokia was the legend and market leader.
Even Toyota’s engineer had sonata in mind, well , it is what they said, not the Korean car fanboi here said. They must have realize that Toyota began to lose their mojo. Well time to chase up.
I owned a Hyundai Sonata just few months ago and a 2006 Civic. Honestly speaking, Hyundai Sonata really had the elegance over Jap’s car especially the design. Reliability speaking, it still has the weakness over its nemesis Jap’s car. Not comparing to Civic as the Civic’s quality aint that good either. Compare to the Camry instead, it is true that Camry has the upper hand on the reliability.
Other than this, I do not have any concern why Hyundai Sonata is better than Toyota Camry or even Honda.
Eh…..just a normal car design….no “WOW” feeling..! Hope Asian spec & design wil be look nicer then this…. T should understand more about GenX & GenY taste nowaday…. ! Don’t repeat the story like Nukia and Apal handphone…! In the 90s everyone talk about Nukia…now hardly people talk about it….most ppl going for Apal or other ….! T has to act fast to change “thing” before “thing” change them…:… :) See you at the top T…!
Now Japs car impress you by”E…aik”( want to vomit) feeling. See New civic, new camry………E…..aik
jadi ke tak tahun depan ade tokyo auto salon?
sbb nak tempah barang rare dari mugen….nak taruk dlm honda ek kawe la…xkan sonata lak….
The New Camry -very lame design ! Period .
toyota wants a clear difference in prestige between the camry and lexus. so they need to downgrade the camry to have cheap looks to achieve this. otherwise lexus becomes redundant.
I think the trying to catch Sonata got Toyota designer. Sonata comes more luxurious, elegant, hi tech look, which capture a wider generation and especially new generation.
This Camry model dont know position at which generation range. For uncle like me, I want a comfortable feel car, which looks solid. This car look ok, but
1) It does not have the solid feel like the previous model.
2) it also do not have the wow factor like Sonata (so it makes u feel young AND wanted to drive it)
3) it is not as luxurious as Merc/BM (even Lexus not there)
4) It only looks like a bigger size Altis to me.
Now lets see how the market reflect.
Toyota Salesman: “Crap.. uncle know how to think liao..”
haiz….
most of you are blind by the look of sonata…
basic D segment feature sonata also lack …
all D segment in malaysia feature dual zone aircond ,electric power seat
except for the so called very nice looking SONATA… which even don’t have an climate control aircond which is SHAME …
i do agree….the aircond and power seat should be added in, but sime darby kinda cheapskate
dont worry, im sure the kia optima will roll in about the same price with these features included on top of the existing specs found in sonata…..there, another better looking korean car coming soon lol…..
The Sonata 2.4 has Auto Climate control and electric power seat for both front seats with a 6 speed gearbox. Do you know your cars????
Camry does not even have ESP/VSA in the 2.0l model .. so buy reliability at the expense of safety …..
now the sonata is nice and unique. in few years time, the sonata will look boring and lost its elegance while the camry, like all the previous models, still have a little contemporary look in it. now compare; 2002 camry and 2002 sonata (so called jaguar sonata). i would rather choose 2002 camry over the former for its reliability and decent timeless design.
while u might say that fluidic design doesnt last long, the koreans are fast at changing and before u know it, a new model is out again…..
the koreans have already replaced the 2.4 GDI 200hp unit in the sonata FL version with a 2.0T GDI 274hp unit, they only used that engine for like 2 years+ in the sonata and a new engine is in (bigger power and same consumption), even the japs dont change engine that fast and we havent even get a chance to sample that engine here.
Are you talking about the 2003-2006 big butt camry?? Dun talk about Sonata, when toyota ever won a design award in history?? Answer: NEVER. TOYOTA IS DESIGN FOR NON-DESIGN ORIENTATED CONSUMER,ADMIT IT
i cant understand why majority malaysians think toyta’s reliability is top notch..a machine is still a machine and it is prone to breakdown..two of my bosses camrys had problems with their steering shafts and luckily under warranty..no model is without flaws
is this a altis fl?
Now that’s the Toyota way… genchi genbutsu…
apa nie …..semakin lama semakin ugly punya toyota
Sound like a FBC like paid spin article to me.
No supporting fact, but lot’s of Hot Air blowing.
Funnier when the writer seem trying to indicate Camry already lost their Crown title & in return hailing to Sonata which only sell 1/3 of Camry the 9th year title Champion.
If Camry manage to hold 10th title this year i would certainly like to see where do the writer intend to pocket his repo.
sounds like somebody is butthurt…
should name it sonatary..what a look, sonata looks much better, come on toyota, how can u copy sonata?? hahhaha
Has “someone” left out Chevy Malibu, which sold 142K compare with Sonata 135K up to July, Camry has just grap the best selling Saloon car on July despite barely recover from the Tsunami shortage, with the new model i am sure 10th year title is walk in the park.
yup why missed out the malibu?
Interesting that everyone keep saying reliability goes to the Camry and not Sonata. Do you own both Camry and Sonata or the Sonata to even compare them in terms of reliability? And because VW has issues with the DSG, does that mean they are also not reliable?
Frankly I drove both cars. 5th generation of Camry 2.4 cc before I change to new Hyundai Sonata 2.0 cc. Looking at the latest Camry model… Sonata look much more better than the Camry exterior.
The new Camry fuel consumption I’m not sure but I have tested the new Sonata fuel consumption. With 2.0 cc average per kilo meter from Klang to Singapore cost me about RM 0.14++ cent.
The handling was nice and stable. Previous Sonata model we seldom see them on the road but lately we can see lots of new Sonata rolling out. It has been a year since September last year.
Results are everything. More people are buying it. For Sonata I seldom heard any complain from people who have drove it…
These Japanese and Korean fanboys in this forum are so shallow. So what if the Korean designs are better or the Japanese sales/design are better? It’s not like you will get a prize for proving how hardcore you are in supporting either make. Just buy what you like…that is if you have the money to buy what you like.
Toyota design has always been conservative save for a few select JDM models. If you are looking at Camry having the sports car look, you better look elsewhere. Having said that, I think the new Sonata is not any better. Looks damn weird in front, almost to the extend of ugly. The back is ok though. Sorry but the Sonata is also butt ugly to me. Prefer the new Optima over Sonata. Design is subjective. Some like it, some don’t. So grow up and stop those stupid senseless bashing.
the fornt of Sonata looks like the “Predator”. cheers.
critics cay say what ever they want! but u very well noe in m’sia, no matter how awful d new camry may look compared 2 sonata, optima & wat not….it is still going 2 retain d title of “king of the luxury car segment in terms of number of units sold”.
MAA’s monthly stats do not lie and our dear paultan has the honor to publish it monthly for us 2 digest!
yea but the best selling car is never an award winning car or a better car….
hardly we see T models getting any awards but they are definitely best sellers
so its up to the buyer’s preference…..but i always prefer a better built/spec car over a better selling car……satisfaction of a petrolhead.
Sent to “AH Beng” workshop then u can have sexy looking sonary :D
No matter what this is an absolute FAIL on the part of Toyota!
this car sorta takes on some Sonata hues but still looks like the same old lame Camry
Toyota did not bring on something significantly new
this car screams lame old man car all over again
the execs at ToyCar need to resign on this one
Honda, Nissan, Hyundai, Kia all have better looking cars.
From my experience Hyundais are of better quality and design than Toyotas. The sheetmetal and steel is more solid. The engines and mechanical components are better also. I have a 2007 Santa Fe pushing 200k with flawless service. Nothing more than filter changes, oil, tires and brakes. I’ve known isolated Toyotas to do 400k, but i have no doubt that my Santa Fe will easily go past 400k. My vehicle has been much more reliable than my neighbors Rav4 and mine is far more of a work horse.
I find it interesting that Toyota engineers went over the Sonata with a fine toothed comb. Doing what the Japanese are best known to do, make a better copy. But then, they didn’t come out with GDi. No twin scroll turbocharger and no lithium power in their hybrid. They are coming out with a six speed transmission finally. Hyundai is probably busy at work tweaking GDi for additional power and efficiency gains. Toyota may get better mileage from their hybrid with the “tricks” they are employing. But then again, ultra slippery tires, more aggressive drive train gearing and low viscosity oils can easily be brought to the Sonata. I purchased a new Accent and averaging 45 mpg on the highway by employing a few of those tricks.
Toyota is being disingenuous. They continue to stick with conventional fuel injection, weaker sheet metal and NiMH batteries. The Koreans are mercilessly beating the Japanese. Like Samsung and LG are doing to Sony, Hyundai and Kia will do to Toyota.
The Toyota fanboys are welcome to buy Toyotas. My money will be purchasing Hyundais exclusively. And I will be getting the superior vehicle. Not a Japanese copy.
Hi, Jeff, you are a eye-open consumer, who are not follow the elderly blindly. I wonder why the author make this comparison?? Toyota, just like Honda, another japs inexited design. Not like Hyunda and Kia, which keep on improving their products in term of engine, finishing, design reliability and brand name.
You can keep lying but one thing is certain; sales figure don’t lies.
You’re right, and the sales figures show the Sonata is better than the Camry.
In term of design on interior and exterior, Sonata win hand down but camry win on engine refinement. The six speed Dual engine from Sonata still need to refine further to beat the Camry.
As compared to my 2.0 CVTC Nissan engine. This sonata still lack behind on refinement.(smooth & silent respond in term of pick up)
I reckon they will beat the camry with the next generation of Sonata(2014). just wait for another 4 years.
Korean will beat the japanese Ah Pek Camry if the TOYOTA did not improve the exterior design.
This apply to Altis against the Hyundai Avants.
that because nissan use cvt that make it smooth power delivery
Greater expectation comes with greater disappointment.
As we understood, the previous Korean car model is totally out and we never consider it. But with just a change then people start talking this is better, I think it is too fast we made the judgement. Toyota’s product gives us confident for years and shouldn’t beaten by just a change of this Korean product.
Korean car still got a long way to go. Because we never expect from them, so we never get disappointed.
camry designer is the best? sonata is the best? you all blind!
Proton Saga designer is the best!! HAHAHA