Toyota wants to make its passenger cars more attractive to younger customers by offering Toyota Racing Development (TRD) tuner editions. The first TRD-branded passenger car may be the Camry, which could arrive as early as this year.
Toyota executives are confident they can replicate the success TRD editions have had in attracting younger customers to Toyota trucks.
“I think we’d probably start with Camry and see if there is a little magic we could work with some of the TRD equity that we have. Camrys are out there during season racing every Saturday and Sunday in NASCAR. So I think there’s a logical fit there,” Bill Fay, general manager of Toyota Division, told AutoNews.
The executive said a Camry TRD could arrive by year’s end but is more likely to launch in 2016. While a tuned Camry may not suit the tastes of the typical Camry crowd, Toyota could gain new customers and make more money as a consequence.
TRD editions currently on offer for the Tundra and Tacoma pickups and 4Runner SUV have higher sticker prices and are very popular. For example, about 40 percent of Tacoma buyers choose TRD models, according to Toyota.
Bob Carter, Toyota Motor Sales’ senior vice president of automotive operations, is also in favor of TRD passenger cars. “I’m a big advocate of TRD and racing. Whether we do it as a total package or a dealer-installed option or a port-installed option, there are several different paths we are looking at,” Carter said.
Note: 2015 Toyota Camry Sleeper SEMA concept car pictured
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