One of the biggest automotive reveals for the passenger car sector towards the end of the year was Toyota's introduction at the 2023 Los Angeles Auto Show in November of the 2025 Camry.
The ninth generation, unveiled in the United States as the follow-up to the best-selling mid-size sedan, will be manufactured on the same TNGA-K platform as its predecessor but with sensible updates across the board – both technical and in terms of styling. In North America, all trims will feature a hybrid powertrain with 225 hp and there's also optional AWD, in which case the combined output goes up to 232 ponies.
Inside, there's the latest Toyota infotainment system on a screen of up to 12.3 inches with a digital cockpit for the instrument cluster, plus the Toyota Safety Sense (TSS) 3.0 suite of advanced driver-assistance systems. Basically, that is the new gold standard in the ailing mid-size passenger car segment for worldwide four-door saloons.
It's going to be a tough one to beat, but maybe it won't be impossible. While America doesn't put much of a fight anymore – the $25k Chevrolet Malibu only has a 1.5-liter turbo and a CVT powertrain so that it won't be a menace, the Asian foes are still present on the market. The recently introduced eleventh-generation Honda Accord, which is also available as a hybrid model for $32,545, is a clear and present danger, but it's also not the only one.
For example, the imaginative realm of digital car content creators thinks that Nissan could easily put up a more significant fight if they did something with their Altima business sedan. The current sixth generation has been around since 2019 and also got a refresh for the 2023 model year. However, the good folks over at the Next-Gen Car channel on YouTube believe that for the 2025 model year, it's already the ripe time to welcome the seventh generation into the CGI fold.
Their resident pixel master, aided by the modern AI software tools, has a muscular vision of the next iteration – and sometimes doesn't even give it four doors, just two. But maybe that's not enough to threaten the 2025 Camry's hypothetical crown. As such, the parallel universe of vehicular CGI also has a revival planned – the return of the Ford Fusion (Mondeo) four-door sedan.
This idea comes from CarsVision instead, where their CGI expert dreams of the Fusion (Mondeo) with all types of powertrains – including ICE and EV – plus the streamlined appearance of a fastback. Obviously, this mid-size sedan wearing the AI-whirled badge of Blue Oval greatness is also a direct response to the Tesla Model 3 sedan, not just the 2025 Toyota Camry. So, would you like to see it clash with the Nissan Altima, Model 3, and Camry or not?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News