Akio Toyoda Personally Introduces The 2012 Camry

Edward Niedermeyer
by Edward Niedermeyer

OK, so Toyoda-san didn’t so much introduce the new Camry as introduce its headlight. The good news is that the headlight looks like progress. The bad news is that most Americans were probably a bit distracted by the video’s spare production values and Mr Toyoda’s somewhat awkward demeanor (to protect you from your own hypocrisy, commentary on Toyoda-san’s accent will be moderated… unless you can post it in Japanese). Net-net though, Toyota can’t help but come across as an earnestly nerdy lot (led, as they are, by the king of the auto otaku), which fits their brand image well. And for all the talk about styling being the prime mover for consumers, and the necessity of emotion in design, if this new Camry is simply a fresher take on its earnestly nerdy predecessor, Toyota will have accomplished its mission. I’m beginning to wonder if Detroit’s intense dislike of Toyota isn’t simply because it’s the biggest Japanese competitor, but because Toyota’s leadership culture is the unassuming, unglamorous opposite of Detroit’s flamboyant tradition.

Edward Niedermeyer
Edward Niedermeyer

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  • Jeffzekas Jeffzekas on Jul 02, 2011

    "Thanks, and good driving"... i really like Mr Toyoda...

  • Volt 230 Volt 230 on Jul 02, 2011

    Why is Toyota going to invest millions when both Camry and Corolla consistently outsell their segment in this and other countries, if anything they need to go back to their bulletproof reputation, many, many buyers are still attracted to that. (look at the sales numbers)

  • SherbornSean SherbornSean on Jul 02, 2011

    My takeaway was interest that the first thing Mr. Toyoda talked about improving in 2012 was the handling. Interesting priority. I rented a Camry this week. Nothing wrong with it - I can't imagine why it provokes so much hatred from the carliterati. Nothing wrong with it at all, except the engine sounded boring. Compared to Malibu, Fusion, Altima, etc. the current Camry is just fine. In this class, the only real standouts are the Charger and Sonata, both of which look great. I guess the issue I have is that there is no real reason to trade in my 2004 Accord for any midsizer. Given how inexpensive the Accord is to keep running, anything new would have to be a huge step up to justify the cost.

  • Quentin Quentin on Jul 02, 2011

    As a self professed nerd (our engineering honors fraternity at school had shirts that said NERD across the front in the same font as our, at the time, top 10 NCAA football team's TEAM shirts), I've always preferred someone slightly nerdy like Akio Toyoda and Mullaly instead of the more brash execs like Lutz.

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