The new 2025 Toyota Camry will be offered exclusively as a hybrid sedan. This transition is pretty much on point for the brand.
Toyota has been transitioning its vehicle lineup away from gas-only powertrains for the past few years. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the popular Camry will now be offered as only a hybrid sedan, offering impressive fuel mileage and an excellent setup with great features. The new hybrid Camry will likely include both FWD and AWD models, giving owners everything they want in a fuel-sipping sedan.
A longstanding nameplate makes an important change
The Camry Hybrid isn’t a new idea. In fact, this popular sedan was first offered with a hybrid powertrain 15 years ago. The Camry itself isn’t new at all, filling the midsize sedan position in the market for more than 40 years already. Being offered exclusively as a hybrid car is new for the Camry. This means the standard 4-cylinder engine will be gone, which follows the TRD V6 out the door. This change could have lasting benefits for shoppers looking for an excellent hybrid sedan with room for a family of five.
The new Toyota Camry Hybrid will produce 232 horsepower, which is a 15% increase over the 2024 model. The 2025 version should also use a 2.5-liter gas engine paired with hybrid motors to return this power to the car.
What does this change mean for Camry drivers?
Customers ordering the hybrid version of the Camry had to wait as much as 1 ½ years to receive their car. Imagine waiting 18 months for a car that seems like it shouldn’t be much more than a hybrid version of a popular and relatively common car on the road. By switching to a hybrid-only offering for this midsize sedan, the waiting time should be much less and the price could be much more affordable than what’s found with the current models.
Adding more hybrid cars to the lineup is exactly what’s expected in the Toyota vehicle lineup. Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda has expressed his skepticism regarding fully electric vehicles as a solution to pollution issues. Instead of diving into the deep end of the EV ocean, Toyota will continue to transition most models to utilize hybrid powertrains instead of gas-only engines. Because gas-powered models still make up nearly 85% of Toyota sales, the hybrid transition is the logical next step.
What is Toyota doing to transition to EVs?
Although Toyota is on a slow path toward full electrification, the company is making strides toward a more sustainable future. Toyota recently partnered with a recycling company that will help them recycle hybrid and electric car batteries to be turned into new batteries for these same types of vehicles. This means Toyota might be on the brink of a solution to one of the most challenging aspects of driving EVs: the mining and use of rare-earth metals. If Toyota can solve the recycling problem and turn old batteries into new, refreshed models, this could be a serious game-changer.
Could a plug-in Camry be part of the mix?
Not only is a plug-in version possible, it’s expected. The new 2025 Toyota Camry Hybrid will have a Prime model, similar to the PHEV Prius Prime. This new Camry Prime should offer a decent driving range while using only electric power. The expected change could mean drivers save gas for when they need to drive further than a few miles at a time.
Pricing for the new Camry Hybrid should start at nearly $30,000, but that makes sense because the hybrid models have always been a little more expensive than the gas-only versions. It’s expected the XLE trim will sit in the middle of the range and offer the best package of features to satisfy most drivers with the right package of features.
How could the powertrains be set up in the new Camry?
There should be at least two hybrid powertrains when this new Toyota Camry Hybrid arrives. These powertrains will begin with the 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine. The FWD version should achieve 225 horsepower and use two electric motors on the front axle, while the AWD models add a third motor attached to the rear axle to produce 232 horsepower.
Will the new Camry be the right choice for you? As most automakers make the leap from gas to electric, Toyota isn’t skipping the hybrid step in between. The new Toyota Camry hybrid-only lineup arrives in 2025, and it could be the right sedan for you and your family to enjoy a fuel-sipping, longstanding nameplate.
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