Toyota Camry to go all-hybrid in the US in 2025

New model features more powerful engine

The 2025 Toyota Camry is expected to arrive at US Toyota Dealerships in spring 2024. Toyota

Toyota Camry, the best-selling sedan in the US, will be available with only a hybrid powertrain from 2025, the company announced.

The Japanese motor company said the ninth generation of the Camry will be a hybrid electric vehicle in the US market.

The new Camry will combine a four-cylinder 2.5-litre petrol engine and two electric motors to deliver more power, Toyota said.

The decision to have the new Camry as an all-hybrid vehicle was influenced by compliance with tougher US fuel economy rules, David Christ, head of the Toyota brand in North America, told Reuters.

Another factor behind the decision was "the performance we were able to get out of the hybrid", he said.

The fifth generation of Toyota's hybrid system gives a standard 225 net combined horsepower on front-wheel-drive models and 232hp on electronic on-demand all-wheel-drive models.

Toyota says the new hybrid electric vehicle system has been tuned at lower speeds to reduce engine revolutions per minute and increase power.

It says the 2025 Toyota Camry is expected to arrive at US Toyota dealerships in spring 2024.

Most of the hybrid powertrains sell at $1,500 to $2,000 more than petrol models in the US, Mr Christ said.

"We think the value the hybrid powertrain brings is worth that kind of premium."

The Toyota Camry was first launched in 1982 and has become one of the world's best-selling sedan vehicles.

As a manufacturer, Toyota is a pioneer in the hybrid vehicle market, with the Prius probably being the most famous of its type in automotive history.

The choice to go all-hybrid with the Camry in the US is expected to lead to a surge in popularity in Toyota's range.

Dubai public transport drive

In Dubai, the Camry hybrid is one of the most popular vehicles used by the emirate's taxi fleet. In February, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced plans to make its taxi fleet completely eco-friendly by 2027.

The new scheme from the RTA will mean all taxis will be hybrid, electric or hydrogen-powered by the end of the five-year plan.

Dubai RTA's trials over a 15-year period found that eco-friendly taxis are more fuel-efficient and cost-effective, said Mattar Al Tayer, director general and chairman of the RTA.

“The results of experiments on eco-friendly vehicles, which the RTA started trialling in 2008, confirmed the environmental benefits of reducing carbon emissions, fuel consumption and maintenance costs, as well as decreasing noise levels,” he said.

“Hybrid vehicles also have a longer lifespan compared to regular vehicles and cost less in the long run.

“They are characterised by lower purchase prices, maintenance fees, fuel expenses, insurance premiums, and other associated costs that potentially could be as low as 50 per cent of regular vehicles.”

EVs and plug-in hybrids are expected to make up 90 per cent of the car market in China, the world’s biggest, by the end of this decade.

In the UAE's second-hand car market, listing for hybrid vehicles on the classifieds website Dubizzle surged 142 per cent in the first nine months of this year. EV listings grew 27 per cent over the same period, while non-EV car listings went up by 9 per cent.