Japanese Version of 2012 Camry Leaked, 2.5L Hybrid Engine Revealed

After plenty of teases and speculations, we can now bring you the first images of the Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) Toyota Camry, a model that will be officially revealed in the US on August 23rd.

From a cosmetic point of view, things haven’t changed much. The headlight have a slightly different color and the grille looks to offer a few extra stripes, but other than that it's a case of ‘same book different chapter’.

The fog lights seem changed from the last week’s teaser image as well, but that might be because we’re comparing the Hybrid version’s aero looks with the regular sedan. It’s probably that the JDM car is the hybrid model, as we might be seeing Toyota’s trademark H on the back.

The images were provided by a forum member of VW Vortex, the place where we usually get our fix of Beetles and Golfs. Allegedly, they’re scans from an unnamed magazine featuring brochure info of the JDM Camry.

Early last week, Toyota said the new Camry will be officially unveiled August 23 in a series of four simultaneous reveals around the United States. The unveiling will be made at the Automotive Hall of Fame in Dearborn, Michigan, as well as New York, Los Angeles and Georgetown, Kentucky, home of the Camry manufacturing plant. However, a Japanese unveiling might also happen at the same time.

We’ve saved the best for last: the engines in the all-new model. In one of the brochure scans, we spot a couple of powerplants listed. One is a 2.5-liter unit codenamed 2AR-FXE and the other a 2.4-liter powerplant identified as the 2AZ-FXE. The 2.4-liter cubic displacement of 2.362 identifies it as the same block as the 2009 Hybrid, but both look like gas-electric models. We’re 99 percent sure the latter is not the Camry’s engine, but the Toyota Sai, which is a bit like a Prius sedan, on sale in Japan with the old Camry Hybrid's engine configuration.

If that’s the case, then the 2012 Camry is using the 2.5-liter four-cylinder in hybrid form now, which results in a 13 hp increase over the previous generation. The whole powertrain produces 206 horsepower at 5,700 rpm and 213 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm.

Under the engine list, we find a fuel economy rating of 26.5 km/l which is equal to 62.3 mpg US and 3.7 l/100km. Not bad, but we can’t say if it’s for the Camry or the Sai, and JDM figures shouldn’t match those in the US or Europe.