Toyota Camry 2007 News

Jimmy Iskandar, from Casula, has been ordered to pay $31,762 by Parramatta Local Court for odometer tampering and other offences. The cars were bought from licensed car dealers, private sellers and auction houses, and were tampered with as follows:• On 12 February 2010, Iskandar purchased a 2004 Mercedes-Benz E320 sedan for $30,000. The odometer reading at the time of purchase was 210,000 kilometres. He subsequently sold the car with the odometer reading showing at 91,000 kilometres.• On 15 February 2010, Iskandar purchased a 2006 Toyota Aurion AT-X sedan for $16,990. The odometer reading at the time of purchase was 191,244 kilometres. On 29 March 2010, he sold the motor vehicle to Rana Motors Pty Ltd with the odometer reading 149,520 kilometres.• On 19 August 2010, Iskandar purchased a 2006 Toyota Camry Altise sedan for $6,000. The odometer read 152,153 kilometres but on 27 January 2011, he sold car privately with an odometer reading of 88,580 kilometres.• On 29 August 2010, Iskandar purchased a 2006 Toyota Camry Altise sedan, with an odometer reading of 170,000 kilometres, for $8,000. The same day he sold the motor vehicle to Rana Motors Pty Ltd with an odometer reading of 55,723 kilometres.• On 9 November 2010, Iskandar purchased a 2008 Toyota Camry Altise sedan from Hertz Australia Pty Ltd for $14,000 with an odometer reading of 68,826 kilometres. At the time of the sale in January 2011, the odometer reading was at 35,059 kilometres.• On 5 January 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2007 Toyota Camry Altise sedan for $9,000. The odometer at the time of purchase was 149,750 kilometres but when sold, the odometer had been wound back by more than 100,000 kilometres.• On 15 February 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2006 Toyota Camry Altise sedan from Rana Motors Pty Ltd for $8,000 with an odometer reading of 121,429 kilometres. Two months later he sold the car for double the price with an odometer reading of 46,118 kilometres.• On 14 April 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2007 Toyota Aurion Sportivo sedan with an odometer reading of 155,709 kilometres. On 9 August 2011, he sold the car with a reading of 55,944 kilometres.• On 13 May 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2007 Toyota Aurion Prodigy sedan from Highway Car Sales for $14,000. The odometer reading at the time of purchase was 140,105 kilometres. Four months later he sold the car for $15,000, using his business card with an expired wholesalers’ licence number. The odometer had been wound back by over 90,000 kilometres.• On 9 August 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2005 Toyota Tarago GLi van for $11,000 with an odometer reading of 177,623 kilometres. Two months later he sold the van for $20,000 with an odometer reading of more than half the figure.• On 18 September 2011, Iskandar purchased a 1997 Toyota Tarago GLi van for $4,000 and sold it two months later for $4,500. The odometer discrepancy was more than 48,000 kilometres.• On 17 December 2011, Iskandar purchased a 2005 Toyota Tarago GLi van. The following month he sold the van for $1,500 more to a church group, with the odometer reading reduced by almost 60 per cent.• On 15 February 2012, Iskandar purchased a 2007 Toyota Camry Ateva sedan for $10,000 with an odometer reading of 153,148 kilometres. He subsequently advertised the sedan for $15,500 with an odometer reading of 59,000 kilometres.Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe said it was fortunate for Mr Iskandar that such offences do not attract a prison sentence.“While Mr Iskandar pleaded guilty in court, unfortunately he did not make the same admissions to his hapless clients and he stood to make a significant amount of money from his duplicity in the process,” he said. “Odometer tampering is a serious offence and poses a significant detriment to the consumer.’’ 

That's the showroom tag for the Toyota Camry hybrid, which finally hits the road today.  The hybrid is being pitched as the flagship in the Camry range, from the way it looks to a cabin that is claimed to set a new standard for quietness in a locally-made car. The hybrid bottom line is fuel economy of 6 litres/100km, with performance that trims a full second from the petrol-powered Camry's 0-100km/h time.  The $36,990 pricetag compares to $29,990 for a basic Camry Altise, or $39,990 for a Prius hybrid. The basic details of the Camry hybrid have been public since the car was introduced in 2006 in the USA, but there has been a lot of work on 'Australianising' the car, both for production and driving.  "Right from day one we knew that the American version wasn't going to work," says Phil King, who headed local chassis tuning work. The result is a car which is more responsive, as well as packing a full suite of safety gear.  The Camry hybrid picks up the vast majority of its mechanical package from the third-generation Prius, which went on sale last year, although it has a 2.4-litre engine (up from 1.8) and still has a drive belt for the water pump, unlike the Prius. Full details of the pricing, equipment and sales plan will be revealed later today. But Toyota Australia is already trumpeting six airbags, ESP stability control, active steering assistance and a special power cut-off.  But the boot has taken a hit to fit the onboard battery system. "This hybrid can walk, and chew gum," says Peter Evans, technical chief for Toyota's imported cars.  More details later, together with a first driving impression.

GM Holden is less than two months from an economy-based update of its VE Commodore, Ford is promising a four-cylinder Falcon and more in 2010, and Toyota has just slashed the consumption of its family focussed Camry. The four-cylinder Toyota now tips the bowsers at an official rating of 8.8L/100km, trumping the best Commodore at 10.6 and the most efficient of the Falcons, the six-speed automatic XT build after April, at 9.9. But Holden is promising a double-digit improvement to its economy when the updated VE hits the road, probably in early September, while Toyota will only hold the line at 9.9 when it does a similar update job to the Camry on its V6 Aurion in September. "Fuel economy is an important issue for consumers. It's important that we remain competitive," says Toyota's head of sales and marketing, Dave Buttner. "There is no denying there have been improvements by some of our competitors. We are focussed on our customer's needs." That focus is reflected in a facelift which gives the Camry a slight visual lift and a significant value hike. Toyota says all models now come with six airbags and Bluetooth phone connection, while the Ateva and Grande get a rear parking camera. The Grande also keyless entry and starting, reversing sonar and an upgraded sound system. The bottom line is also sharper, with a $1200 price cut on the Atevo and Sportivo. "We've got improve value. So we're excited about the facelift," Buttner says. Camry sales are averaging around 1500 a month, down from previous years, but Buttner says the car is still holding its share of the medium class and he expects a significant boost through the back end of the year.  

Australia's first hybrid, a petrol-electric Camry, is set for production in 2010 and work is nearly finished on the extra assembly stations at Altona. But, before the Camry hybrid, Toyota also has a minor tweak for the Camry and Aurion in the third quarter of this year. It's mostly about improved efficiency and value, but there will be changes to the front and rear bodywork. Toyota Thailand gave a hint on the new direction when it unveiled its version of the Camry hybrid last week, although the headlight and tail lamp treatments are sharper and more edgy than the Australian car. The local Camry will get new-style headlamps, most likely projector beams, and will have a new type of tail lamp cluster produced on an all-new production line at Hella Australia in Mentone. The facelift design work has been done at Toyota Style Australia under the direction of Paul Beranger and should be more acceptable to Australian tastes. But Toyota Australia refuses to make any comment on the upcoming updates, or the exact timing of the hybrid Camry. "Yes, there will be an update to the Camry and Aurion this year. But you will have to wait to see what we have," says Toyota spokesman, Mike Breen.

A Monash University Accident Research Centre study, commissioned by 13 state and federal road agencies and automobile clubs, has confirmed stability control's effectiveness in local conditions.It found a reduction in the risk of single-vehicle crashes of 25 per cent for ESC-equipped cars, 51 per cent in sports utility vehicles and 28 per cent across all vehicle types.In single-vehicle crashes where the driver was injured, there were even bigger reductions; 28 per cent for cars, 66 per cent in SUVs and 30 per cent across all vehicles.The RACQ has urged consumers to insist that ESC is fitted to any new vehicle they purchase, particularly four-wheel-drives.RACQ executive manager of vehicle technologies Steve Spalding said ESC currently was being fitted to only 40 per cent of new vehicles in Australia.Often it is an extra-cost option, but some new releases, such as the new Holden Ute and Toyota Camry range, have it fitted as standard across the range.“This is life-saving technology and the safety specifications set for vehicles today will affect crash risk and injury outcomes for the next 20 years because that is how long these vehicles are likely to remain on the road,” Spalding said.The study analysed crash patterns of 7700 ESC-equipped vehicles manufactured from 1997 to 2005 that were involved in crashes across Australia and New Zealand between 2001 and 2005.These were compared with the crash patterns of about 203,000 vehicles without ESC during the same period.Previous international studies have shown ESC effective in preventing single-vehicle crashes.In Queensland, single-vehicle crashes accounted for 49.5 per cent of driver fatalities in 2006.The US has made ESC mandatory for the 2012 model year, while the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has labelled stability control the most significant development since the seat belt.Commonly referred to as ESC, but also with a number of different trade names, electronic stability control works to avoid the loss of control in an emergency.It anticipates a skid with a set of sensors, which then engages the brakes at one or more wheels individually and employs the anti-lock system to restore stability.In 2006, 43 per cent of all newly registered cars in Europe were fitted with stability control.Bosch, a maker of ESC systems, said stability control was largely standard equipment among mid-size and luxury vehicles from Europe. 

This year has seen the market share of Commodore, Falcon and the Mitsubishi 380 fall to 19 per cent of new passenger vehicles, with only Toyota's Camry more or less immune.And while it was the biggest sales October ever, the share enjoyed by big Australian cars was reduced to 17.2 per cent. The lighter fare from Thailand achieved a best-ever 15.4 per cent. The Vfacts monthly bulletin, released this week by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, recorded that 89,289 motor vehicles were sold in October; an increase of 9359 on the same month last year.It beats the previous record for October, set in 2004, by more than 8000 sales. Year-to-date the market is up by 70,000 vehicles as it continues its charge towards breaking the one million mark for the first time.Yet against this bumper backdrop, 15,382 Australian-made units were shifted last month, mostly to fleets.Japanese-made cars continued their dominance but Thailand is where Honda's CR-V, Civic and Accord sedans are made. These and others, including Ford's Courier, which accounted for 13,825 sales in October.In sharp contrast to ever-diminishing local sales, that Thai-built percentage has increased by almost 50 per cent so far in 2007.Petrol prices are blamed for the decline of the great Australian six-cylinder. But the fact four medium-sized SUVs sold more than 1000 units each last month gives the lie to that.Yes, light cars, spearheaded by 1193 sales of the new Mazda2, experienced a sales surge, but the truth for the big Aussies is grimmer than the rising cost of the stuff that makes them go. The fact is that given wealth of choice, fewer and fewer Australians want the types of cars made in Australia.FCAI chief executive Andrew McKellar says the locals have never had it tougher.“The intensely competitive situation in the motor-vehicle market is being driven to a significant degree by the ongoing strength of the Australian dollar,” he says. McKellar says 4400 Commodores (excluding utes) were moved last month, so with about 300 more sales than the Corolla, it is the nation's number-one seller.Toyota's eggs are in more than one basket with the ever-competitive Yaris, Camry, RAV4 and Prado prominent among its 20,212 October sales. Holden managed 11,415 and Ford 8206. It was the first time that Toyota had outsold the combined total of Holden and Ford in any single month.Year-to-date Toyota leads Holden by 71,360 with the launch of the new LandCruiser this month.If Toyota's lead is unassailable, surely the success story is Mazda.At number four, the leading full-imported marque sells not a single car to fleets or rental companies. They all go to private buyers.October's best-ever 7271 sales represented Mazda's 10th record month in a row. Mazda's year-to-date total of 64,929 already surpasses its 2006 full-year sales result of 63,664.  Snapshot   Country of originJapan 31,838Australia 15,382Thailand 13,825Korea 9830Germany 3901South Africa 2434Belgium 1525US 1448Spain 1422France 1206 The biggest sellers1 Holden Commodore (Australia) 44402 Toyota Corolla (Japan) 41233 Mazda3 (Japan) 31254 Ford Falcon (Australia) 24395 Toyota Camry (Australia) 19946 Hyundai Getz (Korea) 18967 Toyota Aurion (Australia) 18318 Mitsubishi Lancer (Japan) 14469 Honda Civic (Thailand) 140910 Honda CR-V (Thailand) 129111 Toyota RAV4 (Japan) 129312 Toyota Prado (Japan) 127313 Suzuki Swift (Japan) 119714 Mazda2 (Japan) 119315 Ford Territory (Australia) 119016 Toyota Kluger and Subaru Forester (both Japan) 117317 Holden Astra (Belgium) 111818 Mitsubishi 380 (Australia) 110019 Holden Captiva (Korea) 109320 Nissan Tiida (Thailand) 1087 

I like Chrysler. I like its management, its freehand styling and its gumption to mass produce cars that were last seen as Hot Wheels models in a toy store.If it's about looks, Chrysler and its subsidiary Dodge have it in spades.Chrysler's products will hypnotise you into visiting a showroom where, in a trance-like state, you will buy the classiest thing ever built on four wheels. That's when the spell will end.The Chrysler Sebring, rival to the Toyota Camry, Mazda6 and Honda Accord, breaks my heart. It's a very ordinary product from an outstanding company.There is not one area where the Sebring outshines the Camry.It has a hint of the famed styling madness that we love, like its straked bonnet, but is generally styled for an older audience.A tad conservative, it's nicely balanced, though the front bumper is too long and the car is not distinctive enough for passers-by to give it a second glance. Sebring 0; Camry 1.Inside it's a Tupperware party that has overdosed on Fruity Lexia with lots of hard, multicoloured plastic, mostly browns.The seats are leather-trimmed and the front ones are heated. But they are most uncomfortable, with a bulging squab a bit like a lumbar support with a hernia.There are appreciated features like a cupholder that can heat or cool, a tyre-pressure monitor, a quality audio system, a split-fold rear seat and cruise control.The 2.4-litre motor is also used in Hyundai's Sonata and Mitsubishi Outlander, though you wouldn't pick the relationship.The Sebring's engine is a modest performer, 0-100km/h in a weary 11.3sec but it is economical.The economy is because at no stage does the raw vacuum-cleaner sound of the motor relate to what's acutally happening at the wheels. Push hard on the accelerator and no one will know what you've done.The lack of go isn't helped by a four-speed auto with ratios designed for country touring on flat roads.Handling is good. In motion, the Sebring will glide through corners and mid-corner bumps with ease. The lifeless steering points well and ride comfort is commendable.The excellent standard safety equipment includes ESC and six airbags, and the solid chassis inspires confidence.Some good, but more bad about this car. C'mon Chrysler, you can do better. 

The gauntlet is down. Is there a manufacturer, importer or government out there prepared to put corporate citizenship ahead of value equations and claim the moral high ground in the ESP argument? Electronic stability, active stability, dynamic stability ... call it what you will, the inescapable truth is that these systems have an enormous potential to avoid or moderate serious traffic accidents and the social and economic devastation that follows.In essence, ESP is a computer-controlled system that uses the car's brakes and throttle to maintain a stable attitude when sensors indicate a loss of control has taken place or is imminent.It is not a save-all for reckless driving but it can straighten and balance a car, which may in other circumstances, have succumbed to one or more of Newton's laws and speared away into the bush or oncoming traffic. Not so long ago such stability programs could be found only in luxury vehicles, a personal bodyguard for those who could afford to be saved. Not unlike the airbag.From the early days of the airbag features, a manufacturer asked why it supplied the lifesaving technology in its upper-end models only, but not in the more affordable and more common base models. As the story goes, the answer was along the lines of: “We are only killing poor people.”Airbags are now considered essential equipment in any new car and while there is no suggestion that any motoring or government body subscribes to the 'poor people' theory in relation to ESP, the reluctance to hasten the availability of a proven accident avoidance system is baffling. Nearly every luxury and premium marque includes an ESP program of some type in its cars. Others from the more mainstream end of the pond have been nibbling at the edges.Holden and Ford have it available as standard on parts of their extensive ranges, optional on others. Toyota last week announced Camry will have VSC standard from this month, albeit with an across-the-range price rise. Hyundai made a move of sorts by offering the technology as part of an optional safety pack on the Getz, at $1290 for the ESP and extra airbags it wasn't punitively expensive yet the uptake was just 1 per cent.Therein lies the issue. Buying patterns for optional extras suggest Australians eschew safety in favour of extra speakers and shiny wheels, the smiles lasting until they spin off to an appointment with their neighbourhood tree, telegraph pole or oncoming vehicle. Several Australian states have been pushing to have the department of transport mandate ESP for new cars in a move similar to that in the US, where all new cars must have ESP by 2011.Within 10-15 years of such a mandate most used vehicles in Australia, those in the hands of the greatest at-risk group such as young drivers would have the technology. Disturbingly, Australia's peak automotive manufacturer and importer body has been reluctant to support such a move.Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries president and Chairman Emeritus of Toyota Australia John Conomos, speaking at the launch of the new Toyota Corolla, on which ESP is available in Europe and the US but deleted for the Australian market, Conomos said “We don't support it ... we have had discussions in Chamber (FCAI) about it and the reason we do not support it is that it potentially ties you into old technology, legislation is static, technology is dynamic.”The FCAI points to figures that show ESP availability in new cars will hit 40 per cent by the end of this year and argues that the market should be allowed to dictate its growth.“The market will determine it from that point on, so we believe government intervention in these areas is not appropriate unless it is a critical safety issue,” Conomos said at the launch. What is not made clear is that most of that availability is still at the top end of the market. Let's not call them poor, less financially empowered buyers continue to face the choice between comfort and safety.On the question of it being a “critical safety issue,” many safety experts believe the high proportion of deaths and injury resulting from loss of vehicle control does constitute a critical issue, particularly among young and inexperienced drivers.Industry commentator John Cadogan of the Immedia Group consultancy, describes ESP as having “the greatest potential to change the accident landscape ... If you're a young driver, your risk of dying on the road is elevated 200 or 300 per cent in comparison to drivers over the age of 24,” Cadogan says. “This is not a problem unique to Australia. It's really a global epidemic.”Cadogan says RTA statistics indicate 28 per cent of accidents involving drivers under the age of 24 have a further 17 per cent constituting head-on crashes.“ESP has the capacity to change the landscape of this phenomenon ... ESP is designed to protect middle Australia from itself.” 

Toyota will wait for an Australian Government hand-out before it decides whether to push the button on a third model line and a likely hybrid.But firm plans for a third vehicle to join the Camry and the V6-powered Aurion on the Altona assembly line in Melbourne will have to wait until after the fast approaching federal election.A Camry or Aurion petrol/electric hybrid is almost certain as Toyota continues its green message.Speculation on a third model has heightened at a time when Toyota has launched the second-generation Kluger SUV, which is delivering a front-drive variant for the first time.There is little chance a hybrid version of the recently launched second-generation Kluger will make it to Australia. As the sole major right-hand-drive market for the Kluger, there is almost no chance of Toyota giving the go-ahead for one here.David Buttner, Toyota Australia's executive director of sales and marketing, says an Australian-built Camry or Aurion hybrid is a strong possibility but will not occur until the next model cycle in about 2011.“We want to build a hybrid in this country and we want to build one at Altona,” Buttner confirmed.“We're now talking about Camry or Aurion and it's the right time with the mood at the moment and the governments are seen to be green.”There are increasing numbers of private buyers of Toyota's Prius hybrid sedan, accounting for about 39 per cent of sales, as opposed to predominantly government orders for the expensive $37,400 sedan.“While government demand remains strong for the Prius there is a real shift in thinking out in the market about hybrids,” Buttner said.“So if we can be first to market (with a hybrid Camry or Aurion), I think it gives us a lot of credibility in the marketplace.”The global body line Toyota has in place at the Altona assembly plant has the flexibility where platforms can be rolled in and out and it can handle three sizes.“We have got no firm plans on the drawing board to fill that with a specific model just yet,” Buttner said.“The government has shown a lot of interest and we believe there would be something forthcoming from the government.“There's been a few grants handed out lately with Ford and GM for research and development-type projects and we haven't been a recipient of one of those funds yet and we haven't put our hand up.“But if we go forward, possibly with hybrid, we'd certainly put our hands up and certainly be having some discussions with the government.”Buttner said it would not make sense to make hybrid versions of both the Aurion and Camry because initial demand would not be enough.Costs of hybrids have come down as economies of scale and production techniques have changed.“When it first started with the Prius being built in Japan in an offline-type situation, that's expensive production. But now it's thrown into the mainstream production line and you've got a couple more suppliers who have come on-stream so the cost will come down.” 

Toyota Australia is planning to build a hybrid version of its family-sized Camry or Aurion and have it on sale within four years.Toyota's head of sales and marketing, Dave Buttner says one will get the hybrid petrol-battery system.Toyota sells three imported hybrids, the Prius, based on the Corolla; a Lexus prestige sedan, the GS450h; and all-wheel-drive wagon, the RX400h, while a V8 luxury saloon, the LS600hl is due later this year.The home-grown hybrid would be built on the same lines as the Camry and Aurion at Toyota's Altona plant.“We want to be the first local manufacturer with green credentials. We want to be known as the company that was first to market,” Buttner says. “We want to be the leader on this issue. We have been looking at the Camry and Aurion for the hybrid and it's looking like the Aurion. It will go on sale in 2011 or 2012.”Toyota has been encouraged by the take-up rate of its hybrid Prius.“When launched, 3 per cent of sales went to private buyers, now it's 39 per cent,” Buttner says."Demand for our Lexus hybrids is double (our) expectations."