This is the Toyota Camry Classical, a China-only continuation of the Camry XV40 . It was made from 2011 until 2013 by the GAC-Toyota joint venture, alongside the new Camry XV50.
Continuations of older cars, alongside a new generation of the same car, is very normal in China. As long as the old generations still sells, joint ventures prefer to continue it. Beijing-Hyundai for example made at one point four (04) generations of the Elantra. The development costs of these older generations have been earned back already, so the profits are high.
In the Camry’s case: the Camry XV40 was made by GAC-Toyota in China and sold under the Camry name. Then the Camry XV50 arrived, but production of the Camry XV40 continued.
So at that moment there were two Camries.That wasn’t handy for marketing purposes so the XV40 received a small facelift and a new name: Camry Classical. The grille and lights were updated and the interior got a slightly redesigned center stack.
The Camry Classical, however, was by no way a modern car. Its age is clearly visible inside, redesign are not. The infotainment screen is tiny and it still has a CD player. The steering wheel looks rather outdated too.
The Camry Classical was made for 3 years, earning the joint venture some sweet extra cash. Price started at 185.800 yuan.
The Camry Classical was available with two engines: a 147 hp 2.0 and a 167 hp 2.4. The engines were mated to a five-speed automated manual or a 4-speed automatic.
The badge on the back. The word ‘Classical’ is grammatically not entirely correct. ‘Classic’ would have been better.
Badge: Guangqi Toyota, with Guangqi short for Guangzhou Qiche, meaning Guangzhou Auto.
A China-only Toyota Camry in Beijing.
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