Toyota GR Camry could be in the works
Kia Stinger-rivalling Toyota GR Camry a chance to join fast-growing Gazoo Racing stableThe flames of speculation concerning the next tyre-shredding Toyota GR model have been well and truly fanned after a senior Toyota executive in the US revealed that a scorching sedan was on the cards.
Speaking to US website Motor Trend, the executive vice-president of sales at Toyota’s North America arm, Bob Carter, suggested customers “stay tuned” for a GR sedan.
There are two obvious possibilities for the next full-blooded high-performance Toyota GR sports sedan: a GR Camry or GR Corolla.
A Toyota GR Corolla sedan would be a relatively straightforward engineering exercise given the five-door hatch model has already been developed, powered by a bespoke 220kW 1.6-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol engine that drives all four wheels via a six-speed manual transmission.
While the Corolla has greater global reach, and also happens to be the world’s top-selling vehicle of all time, the larger Camry outsells it in the US, recording a whopping 313,795 sales in the US last year.
The Camry has also been the top-selling passenger car in the US for the past two decades.
There’s certainly scope for the Japanese brand to deliver a ballistic all-wheel-drive Toyota GR Camry that would give the Kia Stinger a good whacking, and we can imagine the 305kW 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo petrol engine from the Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series and Lexus LX SUVs being ripe for transplantation.
Like all track-ready Toyota Gazoo Racing models, a GR Camry would almost certainly get reworked suspension, upgraded brakes, extra-grippy tyres, a stronger gearbox and several other improvements, including a sportier cabin.
Back in early 2021, we reported on the GR-fettled Toyota Camry sedan accessories available in Japan (pictured), which showed what a GR Camry could look like thanks to the fitment new front and rear bumpers, side skirts, exhaust pipes and so on.
If the Toyota GR Camry does become a reality, it could herald the return of V6 power for the sedan after the six-cylinder was axed in Australia, leaving only hybrid models.
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