Toyota: 19 New Models in 2012

Toyota had a rough year in 2011. Safety investigations and natural disasters presented challenge after challenge and wounded the company’s supply chain, sales figures and brand image. It's a new year, and it sounds like Toyota plans to stay busy.

The automaker is planning to launch 19 new vehicles in 2012 across its Toyota, Lexus and Scion brands, according to the Detroit Free Press. Executives detailed the plans to dealers last weekend at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in Las Vegas.

Top 10 Best-Selling Cars: January 2012

After capping 2011 with four decent months, the auto industry hit 2012 running. Analysts expect auto sales to outpace 2011 figures anywhere from 6% to 10%, which could make 2012 the best sales year since 2007.

January enticed consumers with total incentives — including financing offers, automaker and dealer cash, and trade-in bonuses — amounting to 16% off the average car’s MSRP, CNW Marketing Research reports. That beats January 2011, when shoppers saw only 13.5% off the average MSRP.

Shoppers took advantage. January sales jumped 11%, beating Tuesday’s expectations. This marks the best annualized month since 2009, Automotive News reports. Chrysler, Nissan and Hyundai-Kia saw double-digit sales gains, with GM the only top-seven automaker to post a loss.

Win a Toyota Camry and Give Another to Friend or Family

To further push the redesigned 2012 Toyota Camry, which has competitors like the Ford Fusion and Hyundai Sonata chomping at the bit, Toyota has decided to give away two new Camrys to a lucky winner who uses the Shazam music service.

For folks who don't know about Shazam, it's a music identification application available on most major smartphone operating systems. Toyota wants you to Shazam its latest commercial, which sentimentally talks about the generations of Toyota Camry owners. By playing along, you'll be entered to win two new 2012 Toyota Camrys, collectively worth $53,280, says the automaker. You can watch the ad online on YouTube and use Shazam to enter. You can circumvent Shazam and just enter the game on Toyota's website.

The sweepstakes ends Sunday. Contestants can enter it once a day until Saturday.

Toyota Super Bowl Ad Shoots for Profound Reinvention

Toyota will air two 30-second ads during the Super Bowl for its 2012 Toyota Camry, the first time the automaker has advertised during the game in three years.

The ad, shown above in its full 60-second version, plays on the idea of reinvention to help convey the significant re-engineering of the Toyota Camry for the new model year.

Some funny "reinventions" include rain that makes you skinny, tasty pizza curtains and couches made out of attractive, living, human beings. Richard Strauss' "Also Sprach Zarathustra" (from Stanley Kubrick’s "2001: A Space Odyssey") underscores the clip. The ad is definitely over the top, especially for a vehicle that looks only iteratively different compared to the Camry it replaces.

Road Trip Report: 2012 Toyota Camry

The midsize-sedan class is one of the most competitive segments in the automotive marketplace, with Toyota's Camry and Honda's Accord fighting for the title of market leader. A new Camry for 2012 and an impending Accord for 2013 heat things up even further. Ford's new-for-2013 Fusion looks competitive, too.

Camry, though, has a little explaining to do. A 2010 refresh left critics complaining about cost-cutting measures like interior squeaks and rattles and a cabin draped in budget-grade plastics. For 2012, it was redesigned with fresh styling, new features and what appears to be a return to the level of quality that's kept it a midsize benchmark for years. After renting a 2011 Camry LE over New Year's, I was anxious to compare them, so I put a few hundred miles on our 2012 Camry test car to gauge its improvement.

2012 Chevrolet Sonic, Volkswagen Passat Earn Five-Star NHTSA Ratings

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released another batch of 2012 model-year crash-test ratings today. Under the stricter guidelines, the 2012 Chevrolet Sonic compact and the new 2012 Volkswagen Passat sedan earned five-star composite scores.

NHTSA’s composite scores are composed of five-star ratings for frontal, rollover and a combined side pole and barrier tests. The side pole test, which is new, simulates a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side.

Cars.com Family Reviews the 2012 Toyota Camry

The 2012 Toyota Camry with a V-6 engine had Cars.com Family contributor BreAnn Ahara cackling as she zipped onto the freeway in this midsize sedan. The Camry continued to surprise her throughout her test drive with its edgy looks, sizable trunk and clutter-swallowing compartments in the interior. Who says mom-mobiles have to be boring?

2012 Toyota Camry Review

Reader Review of the Week: 2012 Toyota Camry

“Safedriver” from Saratoga Springs, N.Y., is the former owner of a 2007 Toyota Camry and an older Honda Accord. After test-driving the 2012 Accord and a Lexus GS, this reader decided to go with a brand-new 2012 Camry instead. Saferdriver — appropriately named after the Camry’s five-star safety rating — finds the car to have more comfortable seats, especially for longer trips, and ride comfort that rivals the outgoing Lexus GS. Continue reading the full review below. Once you’re done, write a review about your own car here.

2012 Toyota Camry Earns Five-Star NHTSA Rating

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its first batch of 2012 model year ratings this month. Under the stricter guidelines, only three 2012 models — the Chevrolet Camaro, Cadillac CTS and Toyota Camry — have earned five-star composite scores from the safety agency. In fact, as we previously reported, the Camaro is the only vehicle to earn a perfect rating across the board since the new guidelines took effect for the 2011 model year.

NHTSA’s composite scores are composed of five-star ratings for frontal, rollover and a combined side pole and barrier tests. The side pole test, which is new, simulates a 20-mph side-impact crash into a 10-inch-diameter pole or tree at a 75-degree angle just behind the A-pillar on the driver’s side.

The redesigned 2012 Camry earned a five-star overall rating, getting four stars in the frontal test, five stars in the side-crash test and four stars in the rollover test.

Toyota to Export U.S.-Built Camrys to South Korea

Toyota announced today it will export Camry sedans from Kentucky and Indiana to South Korea, making it the sixth U.S.-built vehicle the Japanese automaker exports. About 7,000 Camry sedans will ship from assembly plants in Georgetown, Ky., and Lafayette, Ind., next year, Toyota says, with shipments arriving in Korea in January.

The move comes on the heels of the U.S.-Korean Free Trade Agreement, which reduced auto tariffs and streamlined environmental and safety regulations for U.S.-made vehicles exported to the country. The exports shouldn't affect the redesigned 2012 Camry's reported 92% domestic-parts content (59% for the Camry Hybrid), which could make it a DPC champ once the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration releases figures for 2012. The prior Camry, whose DPC ranged from 70% to 80% for non-hybrid models, has topped Cars.com's American Made Index three years running.