You don’t need a fully electric vehicle to be seen to be Green, according to the market leader.

AN update for the Toyota Camry hitting soon has refined the range to hybrid-only, in three trim levels, across a $8500 span, and given the brand opportunity to offer some mild criticism of a recent fleet announcement.

Toyota New Zealand’s reminder that the variants – a $42,490 GX, $46,990 SX and $50,990 ZR – all produce CO2 counts well below Government fleet requirements seems a pointed comment, as it comes in the same week the administration has signed off on buying hundreds of electric vehicles.

In comment in a release stating that the cars will be available within weeks, TNZ general manager of new vehicle sales and product planning Steve Prangnell says the market leader’s global intent is to push for for adoption of its mainstream hybrid electric models as a major CO2 reduction strategy in developed markets prior to the availability of battery electric vehicles, which Toyota will start to bring into the market from next year.

“Toyota New Zealand is fully committed to supporting this locally as well. With only 4.2 percent of global automotive sales being EVs or PHEVs in 2020, hybrids are the mainstream option to reduce CO2,” he says, further reminding that Toyota offers a hybrid in almost every vehicle across its range.

“Mainstream hybrids like Corolla, Camry and RAV4 allow our customers to improve their fleet CO2 emissions by up to 30 percent.

“We are seeing many fleets, including government and rental fleet, adopt hybrid vehicles like the Camry, as a way to reduce their CO2 emissions without compromising vehicle performance and usability.”

He says the current generation Camry having achieved 2480 registrations since it launched in 2018 shows it has momentum as frontrunner in the sedan segment. However, what TNZ avoids is that the sector itself has shrunk massively in that period, with many brand pulling out, and that the count over a three-year period is less than Camry used to achieve in a single 12 month period when these models were popular.

The hybrid push for Camry is potentially an easy call; the V6 derivative in the pre-facelift line up had become a select choice. It doesn’t mean TNZ has entirely ended availability of a six-cylinder petrol on this platform, however. The new Highlander sports utility that shares the underpinning will continue with a V6; TNZ having u-turned on an initial determination to make that model also hybrid-pure.

Prangnell argues that discontinuing the V6 Camry was a natural repercussion of the CO2 reduction decision, “as both consumer demand and industry foresight tip the scales in favour of hybrid models.

“This decision has largely been made due to increased consumer interest in hybrid driving, as individuals realise that the environmental benefits don’t have to come at the cost of engine performance.”

The car is claimed to deliver between 4.2-4.7 litres per 100km and 96-107 grams of CO2 per km, depending on the derivative. Prangnell says the environmental credential does not come at the expense of performance as the 2.5-litre powertrain creates a total 160kW power.

The SX and ZR variants have a different front bumper design to the GX, with a honeycomb-style grille, and eschew the base car’s 17-inch alloys for larger designs; 19s on the SX, 18s for the ZR, which also gains a panoramic roof with a sliding sunroof, and a shark fin antenna.

These Camrys finally come up to speed with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. GX achieves a seven inch touchscreen display whereas the SX and ZR adopt a nine-inch presentation.

The SX has received the addition of paddle shifters, sports front seats and two rear USB charge ports. The ZR receives black wood interior ornamentation, front seat heaters, a JBL premium audio system and three additional speakers including a 26.5cm rear subwoofer.

The cars’ Toyota Safety Sense package now implements Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection, Emergency Steering Assist, Intersection Turn Assist, Lane Tracing Assist, Road Sign Assist and the Dynamic Radar Cruise Control system adds Curve Speed Reduction.

Blind Spot Monitor and Rear Cross Traffic Alert have also been added to the SX, with Panoramic View Monitor added to the ZR.