Decades after its introduction, the Toyota Camry is still catching the eye of the automobile industry and being showered with awards as if it were the hot new kid on the block. Recently, Kelly Blue Book not only named the 2015 Camry a Best Buy Award Finalist, it awarded the Camry the Best Resale Value Award, in recognition of the sturdy construction and contemporary design that lend the Camry a lasting value. Safety is key to any purchasing decision and, as evidenced by the accolades received as well from the Kelly Blue Book website, the Camry provides top-of-the-line safety for an admirable price. The 2015 Camry was also named a Top Safety Pick by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS), a US organization dedicated to reducing road accidents, for its state-of-the-art safety features. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), another US organization dedicated to safer cars and safer roads, gave the Camry its highest safety rating of five stars. The Camry is a state of mind forged over a 30+ year history that has seen countless iterations of a brand that today rules the roads of Saudi Arabia. Each new model has exceled in design, performance, handling and rock-solid construction, making it the automobile of choice when stylish durability is foremost in the driver's mind. Having gone through numerous transformations, the Camry sports a personality that has evolved from its humble beginnings as the Celica Camry in the early 1980s to the sleek curves and sense of style and luxury that define the Camry today. “Indeed, the originally humble Camry went on to become one of the best-selling car in numerous countries,” said Dr. Adel Ezzat, Managing Director of Marketing at Abdul Latif Jameel. The original models were larger than the average Japanese car, incorporating a 102-inch wheelbase in accordance with the dictates of the very important American market. In Japan, city streets and highways are generally narrower than those in much of the rest of the world. In America, as in Saudi Arabia today, roads are broad and spacious, built to accommodate the big cars. As much as its look, however, the Camry's appeal to consumers lay in its technology. In the early 1980s, its four-cylinder engine produced 92 horsepower, which for the time was quite good, especially given the car's weight. With its light body and a five-speed stick, the Camry could outrace many heavier cars with bigger engines. The first generation Camry was also available in sedan and hatchback versions with a single fuel-injected 2.0 liter engine that brought impressive gas mileage, especially when compared with the over-sized American designs of the time. The history of the Camry comprises numerous generations. The first generation lasted four years and included the addition of two more horsepower in 1985 and a jump to 115 horsepower in 1987 with an overall redesign that included the addition of flush mounted headlights for better airflow. With four valves per cylinder and dual overhead cams, noise and vibration, the bane of low-priced compacts, were cut significantly. A year later, in 1988, the V6 was introduced. With its larger 2.5-liter engine, this version managed to crank out 153 horsepower while providing a smooth and quiet ride. The larger engine was soon followed by all-wheel drive – a departure from the front-wheel drive of previous years – anti-lock brakes and a knock sensor. Early in 1992, another, larger version was introduced. The wheelbase increased by one inch, the width by two inches and the length by a full six inches. The four-cylinder version was enlarged to 2.2 liters, producing 130 horsepower, while the V6 came with a 3-liter engine that kicked out 185 horsepower. With the improvements, the third-generation Camry V6 with a manual transmission could go from zero to 60 mph in under eight seconds and the high-performance SE model came with a performance suspension, larger tires, quick steering ratio, and higher final drive ratio. Visible improvements included different seats, a rear spoiler and sporty trim. Throughout the 1990s, improvements continued to be made to a car that was inexorably making its way from an efficient compact to a luxury mid-size. A two-door model was introduced – but short-lived – a passenger-side airbag added and the V6 redesigned to generate an additional 3 horsepower. A year later, the Camry received a sheet metal refresh. In 1997, the two-door and wagon were discontinued and two more inches were added to the wheelbase. Horsepower was increased for both the four-cylinder and the V6. The Avalon, with an extended wheelbase, was introduced to the market along with the sporty new coupe, the Solara, which was in showrooms until 2009. With high gasoline prices in much of the world and an increasing need to explore renewable energy, Toyota introduced a hybrid synergy drive to global markets producing 192 hp. This came from a four-cylinder 2.4 liter Atkinson cycle gas engine that produced 147 hp and an electric motor that generated an additional 45 hp. The V6 was expanded to 3.5 liters producing a powerful 268 hp. Cool and sporty enough for young and mature drivers, and safe, secure and economically advantageous enough for ferrying families around town and across the country, the Toyota Camry, despite its covetous competition, is seen to continue to be a mainstay on Kingdom roads, from border to border. — SG
