Toyota retooled old robots to cut 2012 Camry price by 2%

Wondering why and how Toyota cut the price of the 2012 Camry compared to the outgoing model? Well, when it comes to why – obviously the reason is the Japanese automaker wants to sell more of its best-selling model. When it comes to how – the reason Toyota was able to drop the price of the Camry about 2 percent is in part by re-using old assembly robots from its former NUMMI joint-venture plant in California.

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“A lot of the tooling is new, however the equipment isn’t,” Steve St. Angelo, executive vice president for North American manufacturing and engineering, said. “We used a lot of used equipment” from the now-closed New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. plant, or Nummi, he said.

The 2012 Toyota Camry is available in 8 version and goes on sale this month costing an average of $25,245.63 – down $550.61.

Check out our first drive of the 2012 Toyota Camry.

While the Camry remains the best-selling car in the United states so far this year, sale numbers are down 7 percent. Ford’s Fusion is up 17 percent and Hyundai’s Sonata is up 22 percent.

Refresher: The 2012 Toyota Camry is available in an entry-level L, mid-level LE, premium XLE and sporty SE trim levels. The XLE and SE are available with four-cylinder or V6 units. All 2012 Carmy models are offered with a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine, which makes 178-hp and 170 lb-ft of torque. Estimated EPA fuel-economy comes in at 25/35/28 mpg (city/highway/combined). Available on the XLE and the SE is a 3.5 liter V6 engine making 268-hp and 248 lb-ft of torque. EPA estimated fuel-ecnomy on the V6 2012 Camry comes in at 21/30 mpg (city/highway). The 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid gets a revised Hybrid Synergy Drive powertrain, which includes a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder unit and a small high-torque electric motor. That gives the Camry Hybrid a total of 200-hp and an EPA estimated fuel-economy of 43/39/41 mpg (city/highway/combined). Also new for the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid is a new EV mode that allows you to drive the car for up to 1.6 miles on the electric-motor below 25 mph. Prices for the 2012 Toyota Camry start at $21,955 and $25,900 for the 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid.

– By: Omar Rana

Source: Automotive News