For the second consecutive year, the Toyota Camry has topped the Cars.com “American-Made Index,” which “recognizes cars that are built here, have a high amount of domestic parts and are bought in large numbers by American consumers.” The Camry lives up to that ranking by having at least 75 percent of its parts made in the U.S., being built in both Georgetown, Ky., and Lafayette, Ind., and remaining a consistent fixture among the best-selling cars in the country.
In fact, the Camry notched more sales in 2009 than any other car sold in the U.S., and has been in the top seven every month through May in 2010.
The secret to this success is no secret, though. The Camry earns its customers by providing a strong combination of styling, fuel efficiency and performance, all of which received significant upgrades for the 2010 model year.
The current Camry wears a sharp-looking grille with an aggressive front air intake, streamlined front headlamps and sophisticated sheet metal on the outside, while its well-executed interior offers plenty of storage, a six-speaker 160-watt sound system, cruise control, air conditioning and a tilt/telescopic steering wheel—and that’s just the standard equipment on the base model.
Under its flowing hood, the Camry offers three engine choices, including an advanced 2.5-liter I4 engine with variable valve timing and 169 hp (or 179 hp in the Camry SE). That mill offers surprisingly peppy performance to go with an EPA line of 22 mpg city/33 mpg highway/26 mpg combined—better than either the Ford Fusion or Honda Accord. Two transmissions can be mated to the responsive four-cylinder powerplant, a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic that offers driver-oriented sequential shifting.
Depending on whether they want to maximize mph or mpg, drivers also can opt for either a potent 268-hp V6 or the efficient Hybrid Synergy Drive. The former boasts adaptive functionality that automatically adjusts the engine’s shift points based on driver input; the latter pushes the Camry hybrid’s fuel efficiency numbers up to 31 mpg city/35 mpg highway/33 mpg combined.
With all these benefits and more, it’s clear that customers who want to buy American—and buy “smart”—should start by stopping at their local Toyota dealerships to check out the Camry.
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