Yahoo Finance 2 things Toyota wants you to know about the new Camry
Toyota (TM) will start selling a brand-new version of its best-selling Camry later this year, and the Japanese automaker wants to make sure you know where it is built.
The first bullet point on the press release announcing the car says, “assembled in America, by Americans, for Americans.” The car’s American heritage will be a prominent feature of promotional campaigns coming this summer. If you’re wondering why Toyota is going gaga over America, you haven’t been paying attention to Donald Trump’s tweets.
In early January, Trump tweet-slammed Toyota, criticizing its plan to move production of the Corolla compact car from Mississippi to a new plant in Mexico. “NO WAY!” Trump tweet-thundered. “Build plant in US or pay big border tax.”
Toyota says it doesn’t plan to change its production plans for the Corolla—but it does hope to do a better job of publicizing everything it builds in the United States. “Camry is going to allow us to tell that Americanization story,” Toyota division general manager Bill Fay tells Yahoo Finance in the video above. “It’s quite an Americanization story.” The car is assembled in Georgetown, Ky., and ranks as one of the most American cars in terms of content, according to government data, since major components such as the engine and transmission are also US-made.
Toyota operates 10 manufacturing plants in the United States and employs 136,000 Americans. Company executives say Trump may not have been aware of Toyota’s heavy US footprint when he complained about the Corolla. Toyota executives have been in touch with Trump’s team to straighten them out.
Oh, one other thing about the Camry: It’s now taut and exciting. The popular sedan has borne one badge of ignominy over the years: automotive purists consider it boring. Toyota has revamped the 2018 model so it sits a bit lower, looks a bit sharper and takes corners with more aplomb. “It will be a sportier-looking car,” says Fay. “It will be a sportier-driving car.”
Reviews aren’t in yet, since Toyota just unveiled its flagship sedan at the Detroit auto show. It will hit dealerships in August and get a lot of attention, since the Camry is an industry bellwether that reflects changes in consumer tastes. By the time it arrives, just about everybody who watches TV, surfs the web or reads a car magazine will know where the Camry is built.
Rick Newman is the author of four books, including Rebounders: How Winners Pivot from Setback to Success. Follow him on Twitter: @rickjnewman.
